


Natasha Romanoff and the Drops of Blood

by silver_drip



Series: Hogwarts in a Handbasket [4]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Kid Natasha Romanov, Kid Tony Stark, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Red Room (Marvel), Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 49,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22212049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_drip/pseuds/silver_drip
Summary: Natasha tries to be the perfect Red Wand agent, but might have to enlist the help of Tony and his friends to get to the bottom of the newest, bloody mystery.
Series: Hogwarts in a Handbasket [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1501907
Comments: 152
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! Here's the game plan folks! This story is going to be in multiple perspectives, but Natasha is theoretically going to be the main perspective in the story line. We'll still see lots from Tony and the gang!
> 
> There's a lot of new students showing up in this chapter, but they'll be integrated smoothly later on.

* * *

Natasha didn’t rub at her wrist. It was probably fractured. She knew a variety of healing spells, but wouldn’t use one. The pain was a reminder that she should have done better. 

She could feel Clint giving her worried glances. She hated him for that. She didn’t need his worry or his reassurances. Natasha had earned the last name Romanoff. That should have been proof enough for him to know his concern was wasted on her. But it was easy enough to ignore him as she looked out the window of the Hogwarts Express. 

It was a new school year, meaning that she had a list of new students to memorize. It was standard and all part of the bigger plan. She had the general personality traits of each new student memorized—Which ones she should ingratiate herself with, the ones she could twist and manipulate to do the Romanoff bidding, and the ones to steer clear of. 

The reports she was given weren’t always accurate, much to her annoyance, but it gave her a good place to start. She was still bitter that she hadn’t been able to ensnare Loki Borson. The reports had said he was a loner and awkward—Susceptible to do as she wanted in exchange for friendship and the support he didn’t get elsewhere, yet he had found friends at a speed that was frankly baffling to Natasha. A pureblood like him whose father had an important job at the Ministry would have been a lovely prize. 

Her anger at Loki had only grown. She didn’t know why he’d been missing for the second semester at Hogwarts despite all her digging with her “family’s” network of spies. She didn’t even know if he was coming back this year. 

Clint shifted in his seat, still staring at her. She had to force herself not to click her tongue in annoyance. She should have insisted on Barney accompanying her instead, but he was with the Yelana Belova, Natasha’s adopted sister—More accurately her competition. This was her first year. She fell far below Natasha in skill, but was a threat nonetheless. They were both vying to be the best, to survive and carry out the mission their “father”, Ivan Petrovich Romanoff, put in place for them. 

It would be best if Yelena was put in Ravenclaw. It would cover all the houses. Natasha in Slytherin, Clint in Hufflepuff, and Melina Vostokoff (another sister) in Gryffindor. Natasha doubted she’d pull it off though. Yelana had the scent of desperate envy. She was always trying to outdo Natasha, and being in Slytherin would keep her breathing down Natasha’s neck. Stupid girl. Natasha would give her a beating during their next training session. 

The only downside to having earned the Romanoff last name was that it immediately made people wary of her. It was another hurdle Ivan wanted her to overcome. 

Natasha stood, going to do a round on the train, peeking into compartments to see if any relationship dynamics had changed. She was constantly in need of more information to be the best. She knew what happened to the other girls when they fell behind. Melina had failed many times and had the scars to show for it. Natasha was surprised that she was even still alive. She suspected she was used as the eyes and ears of Ivan, to make sure none of the girls stepped out of line. 

On her round she spotted Loki, sitting with his usual accomplices, including Tony Stark, which was ridiculous considering he lived at Hogwarts. 

Tony was another sore spot for her. He had knowledge of Hogwarts that could be valuable for future missions, yet Loki had poisoned him against her, making him dislike her before they’d even met. She hadn’t realized how many friends the rebel without a cause had until he’d been captured on Halloween. It had been an interesting sight, seeing him dragged into the feasting hall in chains. Then the pandemonium… Natasha had wanted to unleash her own spells. They were on the tip of her tongue, dark spells to prove to others that they stood no chance against her, but no—She wouldn’t give herself away like that. They may suspect she was a dark witch, but she would gain nothing by confirming it. 

Natasha peered into Yelena’s compartment. Their eyes met. Natasha was nonplussed, but Yelena glared at her. It was an unnecessary show of emotions, especially since others were around. It also didn’t match with the cover she was going with. Yelena was, as much as it pained Natasha to admit, disarmingly cute. Her blonde hair was in loose ringlets, blue eyes bright, and a few inches shorter than her peers. It was all brought together by her round face and natural blush. 

Natasha looked at the other students in the compartment, mostly first-year students and Barney. The first-years looked uncomfortable at Yelena and Natasha’s second long exchange. One was compulsively tapping his fingers on his leg. Natasha inwardly smiled. Yelena hated when people fidgeted. It would no doubt be driving her crazy. 

She went back to her cabin, opening up a textbook. It wasn’t enough that she was the strongest in the Red Wand, she also had to be the smartest.

*

Natasha eyed Loki carefully as they sat at the Slytherin table. His cheekbones were a bit sharper, skin a bit paler. Whatever had happened caused him to eat less. 

Pietro was showing Loki photos of his jackalopes and his trip to the US to visit someone named Professor Xavier. She’d have to look into who that was. 

The majority of the drama that happened in their second semester after everyone had quieted down about Steve’s disappearance had centered around Pietro, Wanda, and Vision. Wanda and Vision were apparently in love, but Erik Lehnsherr, her father was a pure blood extremist—And Vision was half Veela. Without a doubt Lehnsherr would regard him even worse than a Muggle born. 

The rumor had been that Lehnsherr had forbid Wanda from interacting with him, with the threat of transferring her to a different school. 

The defiance was clear on Wanda’s face. If she was closer to the age of majority, Natasha would have bet that she’d run off with Vision. As it was, the pair went out of their way not to look at each other, which of course meant that they kept making more eye contact than if they relaxed. 

Slowly, Natasha had been wheedling herself into Wanda’s companionship. Purebloods had a plethora of family spells that were powerful but forbidden to be taught to outsiders. Just ‘acquiring’ a few spells would further cement Natasha’s position as a Romanoff. 

Ultron’s idiotic rants under his breath pulled her out of her thoughts. He had his own ideas about blood purity, that being half-Veela and half-wizard was the perfect balance and was superior to all others. Ultron was… a bit of a wildcard for Natasha. She was capable of manipulating him to a point, but his magic and physical strength were strong. She could never be certain on what would set him off. 

Natasha hid a grin. If she could direct his rage towards Yelena… It would run the risk of Ivan punishing her for sabotaging a fellow member of the Red Wand, but so long as she didn’t get caught. Natasha would just have to play it smart. This was a battle of life and death, and she had no plans on losing. 

With a subtle glance she looked to the head table. Ophelia Sarkissian, the new Transfigurations professor. She had frustrated Ivan. Despite all his contacts and informants as being the head of the pureblooded family, the Romanoffs, and the Red Wand being his own spy training program, he hadn’t been able to dig anything up on Sarkissian—Not that he had said as much. The day Ivan admitted anything less than being perfect would be the day Natasha snapped her wand in half. 

She hadn’t even been on their radar, as far as Natasha could tell. It would be just another mark in Natasha’s favor if she could dig up information on her. And possibly get her out of the job. Ivan had been trying to get a professor at Hogwarts for decades, but staff usually chose their own successors. 

The first-years shuffled in. She watched them with a keen, but subtle eye. 

After the Sorting-Hat’s song, which Natasha would never admit was funny, the first person, her _sister_ , was called up.

Yelena Belova sauntered to the stage, as if her false last name being at the front of the alphabet made her special. Natasha looked to Melina at the Gryffindor table. As Slytherin was called out her lips became pursed. The fifth-year would have a letter sent off with Yelena’s less than optimal house chose to Ivan before the night was over. 

Carol Danvers was not among the students listed to attend Hogwarts this year. The short blonde walked with her arms swinging a bit wider than most Europeans did. Probably an American. She was placed in Gryffindor, but her eyes were on Tony Stark. Natasha would have to monitor her. 

Robert Dobalina, a brunette boy with hunched shoulders moved forward. His posture was fitting since he was no one. He went to Slytherin.

More uninteresting students. 

Mathew Murdock, an orphan who was caught in the blast of a spell gone wrong and lost his eyesight, went to Ravenclaw. 

“Second-year transfer, James Morita Junior,” Professor Green read off, all smiles as always. Another unknown. It was rare for students to transfer. She’d have to look into him. A Gryffindor.

Franklin Nelson, a chubby little boy in well ironed robes. He was one of her and Yelena’s targets. Pureblooded parents, one of which held a seat on the Ministry high council. He was sorted into Hufflepuff.

The twitchy first-year that had been sitting in Yelena’s compartment on the train was named Lester Poindexter. Another orphan, if she remembered correctly. The newly-minted Ravenclaw was only on her radar as hopefully a means to annoy Yelena

More students. Slytherin gained a disproportionately small amount compared to the other houses, excluding Stark, of course. 

Laura Steppington, another target. She was new blood by Wizarding England standard’s, but her family owned a chain of stores throughout the Wizarding World. She was richer than most of the old houses. Her family had connections all over the world, even with muggles. Another Hufflepuff.

Once again Natasha felt a wave of rage. If Yelena had been sorted into Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin it would have been so much easier to monitor Laura and Franklin. It also meant she’d have to rely more on Clint, which always made her uncomfortable. 

She looked at the silver lining. Clint was her peon and wouldn’t give Yelena information without Natasha’s permission.

Riri Williams, a nobody quickly became a somebody when she was sorted into Stark. Natasha might be able to leverage her into a source into Tony’s group. 

Last was Helmut Zemo. He was tall for his age, head held high, and glasses perched on his nose. He walked with confidence that fit considering he was from an ancient line based in Germany. He was sorted into Slytherin, which was unfortunate considering Ivan had been explicit when he told her and Yelena not to interact with him. 

Food appeared on their tables, first-years making sounds of surprise. 

“It’s good to have you back,” Natasha said carefully to Loki. It felt wrong on her tongue, trying to be nice. Loki gave her a wary look before nodding. She tried to find a joke to keep the conversation going, but none came to mind. 

Natasha ignored Yelena’s looks. 

Clint was taking initiative, talking to Franklin and Laura. Good. 

Carol Danvers from her seat with the Gryffindors kept looking at Tony. He didn’t notice, his head bowed towards Riri. 

Natasha didn’t sigh. It was all immaterial. She already had a pawn in play that she was cultivating to her advantage…


	2. Chapter 2

Riri wished she'd had her hair braided back. As it was, the tight ringlets sprung upwards in resistance as the Sorting Hat was put on her head. 

_ "Oh-ho-ho,"  _ the Sorting Hat said in her mind, causing her to still in surprise.  _ "A muggle born! One with such a fresh mind! Unburdened by tradition—Traditions that make Hogwarts the pinnacle of education!" _

"Uhm, sorry?" How the heck was Riri supposed to respond to that? She'd thought Professor Green was wacko when she crashed into her family's flat and went on and on about wizards and witches. Now there was a talking hat?

It harrumphed.

_ "A slippery mind! Ripe for learning, but unlike most Ravenclaws you have a purpose~ Oh-ho-ho, the perfect pest to pair with a know it all! Quite the journey you're about to embark, in House  _ Stark!"

"Ehh?" She couldn't even form any words. Professor Green gave her a pat on the back, jostling her from the stool in front of everyone. 

Riri sent a pleading look to Professor Green, but she was already looking at the parchment for the name of the next student. 

Too late. She plastered a smile on her face and walked confidently like her mother had taught her to. 

The feasting hall was dead silent, her face heating up with embarrassment. Her heart was beating in her ears. Why was this happening to her! The stupid hat had warned everyone not to go to Stark then threw her in it anyway! 

She focused on the awkwardly placed table. With its singular other student away from all the others it reminded her of the peanut allergy table from primary school where one kid was forced to always sit alone every lunch break. 

Tony was practically vibrating with energy, something Riri could relate to even though she felt like hiding under a rock right now.

Someone started clapping, making her nearly trip. A few more people joined in, but it was nothing compared to the applause when someone was sorted into one of the other houses. 

She puffed her chest out when she was in front of the other student. “Hi, I’m Riri Williams.” 

“Yay! I’m Tony Stark!” He hugged her, nearly toppling her over. As quick as the hug started it ended. He sat down and tapped the spot beside him. “I kinda have to apologize to you since I am the architect of your doom!” Tony shot his arms up dramatically, almost hitting her. 

“Uhm,” she said as food popped out of nowhere onto the table. “Uhh…” 

“I’m kidding!” Tony looked away from her. Riri finally could take a full breath in. At least she wasn’t the only nervous one. “But yeah, I kinda forced the hat into making another Hogwarts house—But that just means you’re unique and awesome! Like me, err, well, yeah, I’m sorry. You probably don’t even want to be here.” He slumped, making his already short stature even smaller. 

“No, no, no, this is fine!” she tried to reassure. “I just wasn’t expecting this. But I kinda thought being in a house would automatically get me friends.” Riri covered her mouth, not having meant to say that. Once again her mouth skipped over the thinking part of talking.

Tony perked up. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that! Stark is going to be like a club-house! I mean I have a ton of friends that are in different houses and you’re cool like me so you’ll definitely make friends in classes!” He started piling food onto his plate. “You don’t have to worry about a thing! You’re going to have my undivided attention and support!” 

Riri wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

*

Their Head of House was Caretaker Coulson. 

“You don’t have to worry about ol’ Coulson,” Tony said while patting him on the back. “He has a soft spot for me.” Tony laughed boisterously. 

Coulson sighed. “Mr. Stark, please do not give Ms. Riri ideas. I take this new position very seriously.” He turned her way as they walked down the halls with wacky moving paintings. “If anything, I am stricter than most professors.” 

“Definitely more strict than Professor Green. She’s a marshmallow!” 

“Mr. Stark,” his voice held a warning. Tony chuckled under his breath. He started back on his more or less dialogue on Hogwarts’ principles, expectations, and not to be influenced by Tony. And… Well, Riri might have zoned out. 

How could she not? The freaking paintings were moving! Tony was imitating Coulson behind his back and talking with his hands that had a wand in it that was shooting off random sparks! Riri thumbed her own wand in her pocket. Apparently it was inordinately long, but it was nearly the same length as Tony’s. 

“Curfew is at 10pm sharp.” 

“Pish-posh!” Tony said then put on an innocent facade when Coulson gave him a look. 

They came up to a staircase and Riri’s jaw dropped. Without a thought she threw a rock just barely to the side of one. It fell like, well, a rock. 

Riri squeaked, already imagining herself stumbling off the side. With all this rando magic she’d think they’d have at least a bannister. When she didn’t see one she had hoped there was a safety spell in place. 

“Where’d you get the rock?” Tony asked, all grins. She’d briefly forgotten she wasn’t alone. 

“Uhm,” she didn’t want to admit that she collected rocks, flowers, wiring and way too many other things. And the banks of the Black Lake had so many pretty rocks… “It was on the side of the hallway?” Drats! Her one weakness, not being able to lie well!

“Ms. Williams please refrain from throwing things.” There was a hint of long-suffering in his voice. Tony cackled. 

Eventually they came to a staircase that ended in open air. 

“The current password is Phoenix,” Coulson said as they trekked upwards. “Please try it.” 

Riri glanced at the open space before her, and the long, long fall a misstep could cause. “Phoenix?”

Steps came out of hidden slots in the wall, leading to a door at the top that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Tony stepped forward, seemingly unbothered by the fact the stairs could disappear in an instant.

After a second of hesitation she followed him upwards. When the trio was through the door it turned into stone, almost a statue molded into the wall. 

“How long do the stairs stay out?” she asked.

“However long it takes for all those on it to get off,” Coulson answered. He gave her a fleeting smile. It was less than comforting. 

After pointing out the different dorms and a few more warnings not to let Tony influence her, Coulson told them he’d be back in the morning to give them their class schedules. 

Once he was gone, Tony turned his semi-manic smile onto her. “Go get changed out of your stuffy robes and bring your wand! I’ve have a million and one things to show you!” 

Riri bit her tongue, she knew she shouldn’t but… 

“Awesome!” She nearly sprinted to her dorm room. 

Her trunk was in front of one of the beds in the room. It squeezed her heart a little, knowing that the others would remain empty. On the other hand, it gave her plenty of space to put all her collections!

Riri emptied her pockets onto one of the spare beds, candy wrappers, stones, and an empty tin can. She’d sort them out later. 

When she opened her trunk, she hesitated. Her clothes had stuck out like a sore thumb on the train. She was already marked as weird by being in a house of only two. Her muggle clothes… There’s nothing she could do about it now, though. 

She changed quickly, but then didn’t really have a place to put her wand. She snorted to herself then stuck it into her puff of hair. It practically disappeared, but it worked!

Tony was waiting in the common room, eating candies in front of the fireplace. “Want some?” he asked, mouth half-full. 

“I’m still stuffed from dinner.” 

He set it down on a coffee table then wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Riri held back a laugh. 

“Now for the real tour!” He was waving his wand around like mad. Riri had a feeling that was normal for him. “First things first! The place you’ll probably spend the most time in is the Room of Lost Wands!” He gestured to the fireplace that had purple and orange flames. At this point, Riri didn’t even question it. “This is Floo powder,” he said while grabbing a handful from a gargoyle? It was a stone beast that was clutching the side of the fireplace, mouth wide open and filled with powder. “You’re a muggle-born, so I’ll explain.” 

“Is it that obvious?” Riri blurted out. 

“Eh, it doesn’t really matter.” Tony waved dismissively, once more sparks flaring from his wand. “Blood politics died out half a century ago. The only person you have to worry about is the Romanoffs, and they only have one student right now. She’s a second-year Slytherin so you probably won’t ever see her! Oh, and Pietro Lehnsherr, another second-year Slytherin—But if they do give you grief let me know and I’ll put boggarts under their beds!” He straightened up and smiled. “Pretty much the Floo network is easy teleportation. There’s a total of seven Floo-Fireplaces in Hogwarts. I installed one in each dorm and another in the Room of Lost Wands. They’re connected, but the seventh is in the Headmaster’s office and is connected to outside of Hogwarts.”

Riri took all that in, memorizing it easily. “Are you related to Headmaster Stark?”

Tony wrinkled his nose. “Yes, unfortunately.” He paused then continued explaining about Floo. 

After a blast of hot air and whirling colors she was in a new room. Her eyes became wide as she saw the dazzling tree.

Tony laughed. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, kid.”

*

Carol had been thwarted. When all the first-years had been gathered up to go to their separate houses she’d tried to sneak off to the one person who could help her, but she’d been wrangled up by older Gryffindor students. 

She quickly lost sight of her target. Carol just had to remind herself that she’d already done all the hard parts, running away from her family, traveling to England, and getting accepted into Hogwarts. 

But what was a witch with no wand? 

The wand maker on Diagon Alley had refused to sell her a wand, saying she needed to be with a guardian so they could hold it until she went to Hogwarts. She had tried to sweet-talk a few older wizards and witches to pretend to be with her, but when it came to wands they were steadfast in their refusal. It didn’t help that she’d already spent most of the money that she’d saved up since she realized her father didn’t want her to get a proper education. She could only afford one already used class robe and some of the books. The rest was for the flat price of a wand. 

After trying and trying again she went to Knockturn Alley, but the prices there were ridiculous and half the wands were cursed. It was only after she brushed herself off from being kicked out of another store that she got a lead. 

The man sitting near a garbage heap might have had rotten out teeth and a stench, but he gave her a glimmer of hope. 

He told her about Tony Stark, a fellow Hogwarts student and wand maker. 

From there she asked around, hoping to find about him, especially where he lived. When it turned out that he was already at Hogwarts she nearly sighed herself to death. At least she wouldn’t have to go to his door like a beggar. 

She spent the night at the Leaky Cauldron—Not in one of the rooms, but in the sitting area, drinking the free refills of tea. If she fell asleep, they might kick her out. Instead, she went through three books she had, writing notes in the margins since she barely had any parchment. When she finally graduated, when she was an adult, she’d show her father her grades and prove him wrong. 

*

On the train ride Carol tried to make friends, but she was exhausted. One minute she was talking, the next she was waking up to the train’s horn. She had to quickly get changed and didn’t have time to say anything before getting caught up in the outflow of students. 

The other first-years chittered on the boats. Carol was at a loss. She couldn’t do small talk to save her life and it looked like everyone had already paired up. She was also the only one that looked to be wearing second-hand robes. 

She didn’t really pay attention during the sorting ceremony, only scoping out Tony. When she saw him during the feast she should have gone there, but didn’t want to stick out even more. 

Now she’d missed her chance. She couldn’t hide her frown. 

“Did you not want to be sorted into Gryffindor?” a voice, a voice with a  _ North American _ accent, said. 

She looked at the other girl. She was Black with dark brown eyes and barrets in her hair that had slowly flapping butterfly wings. 

“Oh, uhm, I’m fine with Gryffindor.” She didn’t care where she got sorted, so long as it was in Hogwarts. “I’m Carol Danvers.” 

“Maria Rambeau, nice to meetcha!” 

“Rambeau? Isn’t there a…” 

“Yeah, that’s my dad. Please don’t make a big deal about it.” 

“Just wow, but okay. I won’t mention it.”

“Good, I came here to get away from all that. I really don’t want to have to transfer if it gets out. I don’t want to go to Australia’s school or learn another language! I didn’t expect to meet another American though!” She bumped her shoulder against Carol’s. “So what’s got you down?” 

She didn’t want to admit to anyone about how her father refused to get an education. He said all she needed to do was get married to a good wizard, have children, and stand out of the way of men—But she needed to start making friends if she didn’t want to be miserable. 

“Just family problems. I don’t,” her throat tightened. She tried clearing it, but it didn’t help. “We didn’t have enough money for a wand so I don’t have one yet.” She stamped down her anger, remembering going with her brother when he got a wand. It had been so easy for him, a given. That wasn’t his fault though. “I heard Tony Stark makes wands and I was hoping to buy one—”

“Did I hear someone say Tony Stark?!” Someone had heard her despite Carol whispering. A slip of a girl practically elbowed her way through the other students. “I’m his best friend and if you’re talking shit I’ll fight you!” 

“Janet,” an older boy called from behind her. He was Black and gripping the bridge of his nose. 

“You really think you can take me?” Carol started rolling up her sleeves, physically incapable of turning down a fight. “I’ll punch your lights out before you even get a chance to pull out your wand.” 

“Please forgive my friend,” he said while grabbing Janet by the shoulders. “I’m Jim and I’m Tony’s  _ actual _ best friend.” Janet made a pained noise that Jim ignored. “But if you are talking shit then we will have a serious problem.” 

“Ease up on the cussing,” a prefect said while looking above the head of the first-years. “Of course it’s you two again, Van Dyne, Rhodes.” They turned away from them. 

“We don’t have a problem with Tony Stark, but we do need to talk to you guys,” Maria said. Carol elbowed her for her lack of subtleness. She didn’t want her situation getting around. “It’s private though.” 

“Aww, Rhodey! I think they have crushes on Tony!” Janet fluttered her eyelashes. “Sorry, girls, my darling it too young to start dating.” 

“It’s not that.” Carol glanced around. They were drawing the attention of firsties and older students. “Can we talk about it in private?” 

“Easy-peasy!” Janet grabbed their wrists and started pulling them away from the group. 

“Van Dyne—” 

“I’ll have them back before curfew!” she shouted cutting off the prefect. “And I already know the password!” 

“Of course you do,” the prefect mumbled. 

“Is this really alright?” Maria asked. She looked excited though. 

“We’re the cool kids. We can pretty much do whatever we like.” She shrugged nonchalantly. 

“I’m going to hang back with with Bucky,” Jim said. “I’ll meet you later tonight.” 

“You better get him to come with you!” Janet wagged her finger at him. 

Janet had way more energy than Carol was used to. 

Jim grumbled something under his breath as he left. Janet gave him a hard look then was all smiles again. She took them to an empty classroom and Carol was getting serious serial-killer vibes from Janet. She glanced at Maria, who looked at ease. 

“Alright, the truth and nothing but the truth,” Janet said to them. 

At least they weren’t surrounded by people this time. “I couldn’t get a wand. I have money though and I heard Tony knows how to make wands.”

“Why couldn’t you get one?” Janet asked. 

Carol held back a sigh. “Can you two keep a secret?” She felt like her guts were being pulled out through her throat. 

“Yeah,” Maria said while Janet nodded encouragingly. 

“My dad is an asshole and thinks girls shouldn’t get an education and should only be married off and give birth to lots of babies.” It was messed up. Carol didn’t even know if she liked guys, but that was besides the point.

“What an asshole! I won’t let this stand, my little American babies!” Janet seemed to fluff up to twice her size. “You’re coming with me!”

Janet marched off. “Where are we going?” Maria asked while falling in step with her. Did that girl have no self-preservation? Not that Carol could really turn down Janet, not if she wanted to get a wand. “I can’t believe I’m already going on an adventure—Oops! Is that lame to say, Ms. Janet?”

“Pff, no! Adventures are awesome!” Janet put her arm around Maria’s shoulders. “And no Ms. Janet! I’m only a year ahead of you guys!” She glanced backwards. “Come on, Carol! Didn’t you hear? We’re on an adventure!” 

*

The must have taken a hundred turns and a dozen different stairways. By this point, Carol could didn’t have the faintest clue where they were, which was probably the point. 

They stopped at a door that looked like all the other ones. Janet whispered something to it. As it opened, she heard strange music. 

Instead of looking at the tree that would otherwise be breathtaking, she scanned the room for Tony. Jim was already in the room along with a few older students. She finally spotted Tony. He was sitting forward in a lounge chair, showing wand movements to the firstie who’d been sorted into his house. 

Without further ado or thought, she marched up to him. “Tony Stark, I am Carol Danvers and I’d like to buy a wand from you.” He blinked owlishly at her before grinning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yello, I'm looking for someone not to Beta, but to read ahead and let me know if all the little pieces make sense together. Let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Mentions of child abuse and mentions of murder.

* * *

“That bed is taken!” Bucky snapped at the transfer student, James Morita Jr. 

From the other side of the second-year boy’s dorm Frandral and Volstagg exchanged a look. Bucky ignored them. 

Morita eyed Bucky, but didn’t seem put off by his outburst. 

“That’s my friend’s bed,” Bucky said feebly, having used up the little energy he had. He’d just been so tired since Stevie was taken from him. 

Morita pulled his trunk to a different bed. 

Bucky sat down heavily, pulling out Steve’s turtle, Shield, from it’s housing. Other than memories and pictures, it was all he had left of his best friend. 

His best friend and brother, who Bucky’s parents knew was not a wizard. They knew that the Ministry might take him away, but never warned them. 

“James Morita? Like from the Howling Commandos?” Frandral asked. 

The other boy groaned and Volstagg laughed boisterously. “Yeah, but just call me JJ. I get tired of being compared to my dad.” 

The trio continued talking. Bucky’s thoughts unbiddenly latched onto the Howling Commandos. He and Stevie used to pretend they were part of the famous group of wizards who fought like no others during the last Dark Lord’s war. If Steve was here he’d be all starry eyed and asked a million questions a minute. 

The small group left the dorm room, going to talk to Thor. 

Silence engulfed Bucky. He hated it. 

Growing up he’d never been alone before. Nearly as far back as his memory stretched Steve had been there. 

Last semester he felt like a Dementor was following him night and day. He’d never believed Steve was dead. He’d been so hopeful, so sure that they’d succeed at getting him back from the Ministry, but that had only been the first part of the battle. Everything was now at a stand-still, a state of suspension where Bucky couldn’t move forwards or backwards. 

He put Shield back in his terrarium. He couldn’t stand the silence anymore. Maybe he should have gone with Jim earlier, but Bucky didn’t want to be around all his friends that were happy to see each other. It had been hard enough on the train ride back to Hogwarts. 

He went down to the common room with a book in hand and took a plush seat that was far away from the other Gryffindors. 

He let out a mirthless laugh when he realized he’d automatically chose his Transfiguration textbook. The same book that he drilled with Steve to not give Professor Zola another chance to bully Steve. 

Bucky set it on the side table and took a hard candy from his pocket. He wasn’t hungry, but it gave him something to do. He could barely taste the cherry flavor. 

An hour passed with different students milling around, talking to their friends and challenging each other to duels. Prefects presided over them, the bright spells blurred his vision, their spitting energy a dull buzzing. 

At first he didn’t notice a different prefect taking a seat beside him. “Someone was taken away from me too,” she said quietly, her voice not traveling beyond them. 

Bucky drifted back into awareness. He looked over at her, Melina something or another. Either a fifth-year or sixth prefect. He didn’t respond. 

“She was my sister, but died of dragon pox.” Melina rolled up her sleeves. Bucky looked at her pale, pockmarked skin. There were other scars there too. “My mother was abusive and refused to take us to a hospital.” She hid her arm again. “I run a support group after breakfast on Sundays. You should come to the one tomorrow.” 

He didn’t respond, didn’t want to _share_. How could any of them know what was going on in his head? None of them had their government kidnap someone they loved. They never had their parents out-right lie to them. They never had their friend swept away to a foreign country with no means of communication or getting back. 

They knew nothing, and Bucky wasn’t about to tell them.

*

“Report,” Natasha said early the next day after breakfast. She and Clint were in an alcove far in a lesser used part of the castle. It was Sunday and classes wouldn’t start till tomorrow. It gave Natasha more time to warp people to her benefit. 

“Franklin Nelson goes by the name Foggy,” Clint said, “Some students started teasing him about his weight and I was able to step in and play hero.”

“That’s a good start.” Natasha nodded to herself. “We can play that angle, but come to me before making any big plays. Ivan had me memorize a list of things Franklin—Foggy likes. I’ll write it out for you to use as a bonding tool. Laura Steppington?”

Clint frowned. “That’s uhm, she’s shy? I didn’t get a chance to really talk to her.” 

“Hmm, you are to form a study group for the Hufflepuff first-years. Use the excuse of needing a refresher and not wanting to study alone. That sounds like something a Hufflepuff would say.” 

Clint’s lips thinned. She knew he hated this sort of thing, but his family was beholden to the Romanoffs. She didn’t pressure him to agree with her plans, knowing he’d do so anyway. 

“I’m thinking of joining the Quidditch team,” Clint blurted out. Natasha raised an eyebrow in question. “I could uhm, Thor Borson was able to help teach the first-years flying lessons. If I say I want to help to brush up on my flying skills I might get more access to Foggy and Laura.”

Natasha saw through his poorly crafted excuse, but the idea could have merit. Besides that, she had to keep Clint at a certain level of freedom if she wanted to keep using him. Happy enough not to feel crushed by the weight of deception, but not happy enough to pull away from her. 

After comparing their course schedules she dismissed him. 

She took a few moments to turn over what he said. Natasha couldn’t miss a single detail. She couldn’t risk Ivan doing to her what he did to Melina, or worse, killing her like the Red Wand trainees that failed. 

From there she went to meet up with Wanda Lehnsherr. The Ravenclaw second-year was god-awfully annoying, but Natasha was confident she could pick and pull at her into giving up secrets. The Lehnsherr line was no longer powerful because of its heritage, but because of Erik Lehnsherr’s creative wandwork and spells. 

With the support of her father, Wanda had a chance of making it into the Ministry or another powerful job. It was best to be friends with Wanda before she established herself in the British government hierarchy—Not that Natasha would ever consider her a friend. 

She didn’t need friends. 

Natasha met Wanda near the Ravenclaw tower, but out of prying eyes. It was lucky that Wanda either consciously or subconsciously didn’t want to be seen with Natasha. 

“Where do I even start?!” Wanda said. They were seated across from each other in a tea room that was rarely used. Natasha had a standing delivery of tea for Sunday morning from the house elves. “Pietro is being so dumb…” 

Natasha nodded along and said all the right things as Wanda repeated the same complaints for the hundredth time. Ivan was pleased with her current progress since Wanda was still young and probably hadn’t even started learning her family spells. 

Natasha lamented that Wanda’s father wasn’t being fair, but she had to carefully balance it as to not drive a further wedge between the pair. 

That was just how her life was, walking a fine line that could snap at any moment. 

*

The books and parchment were heavy in Bucky’s bag. Breakfast had been a practice on avoiding talking with Janet and Jim, and trying to drown out people gushing about JJ’s dad. Now he was off to Transfigurations. He didn’t have any expectations for Professor Sarkissian, other than she’d doubtlessly be better than Zola. 

He sat in the back of the classroom. It was a Gryffindor/Slytherin class which meant there was the possibility of house rivalry nonsense. It also meant that he might have to sit by Loki or Natasha. Though they might not be as bad as sitting by Janet.

Bucky put his bag and books on the empty spot of his two-seater desk. 

Frandral and Volstagg sat together, as they always did. They were a few desks away, which meant he wouldn’t have to listen to their too loud whispers. Natasha took a seat in the back left corner, always angling for a view of the whole classroom. 

Bucky had some serious concerns about her. She was just… He didn’t know how to explain it. She didn’t act like a normal kid and she always set him on edge. 

JJ sat down beside Bucky. He was about to protest, but Janet and Loki walked in. He looked away from them and they took the table to his right, Janet closer than Loki. 

“Did you sleep well last night?” Janet asked, hesitancy in her voice. It contrasted so much with her usual chirping enthusiasm. He felt bad he was causing her to act that way, but… 

He gave a shallow nod then turned away from them. JJ gave him a weird look. 

A three-headed snake appeared, causing scared screams and startled yelps. It coiled up and jumped the distance of half the classroom, landing on the front desk. It twisted around, flashing it three sets of fangs. 

It elongated, shifting into a human-form, Professor Sarkissian. She was wearing sharp green lipstick and plain black robes. Her introduction was pretty standard. As class went on, Bucky couldn’t stop shifting in his seat, then he understood it. Dread took the air out of his lungs. Sarkissian had the same glint in her eyes that Zola used to get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *vibrates* Loki!

* * *

Loki seemed to always have a headache. Rather, some part of him was always aching. His head just tended to be the usual suspect. He credited it to a myriad of things: a body that was a lie, the aching hunger, and his two new abilities. 

One Loki had already had a bit of practice through the Spectare Spectacles. He had learned that dementors could see spells, similar to how he could with the glasses FitzSimmons had made. But there was no color to them, just black, white, and grey. He hadn’t meant for the ability to overtake his normal vision, but as he tried to find a balance between being a wizard and a dementor, he lost all color. Now he had to concentrate if he wanted to catch a glimmer of the world he once knew. 

He couldn’t bare to tell Janet that the clothes she’d designed for him when he was away looked lackluster and monotone. How could he even explain it to her without giving away his wretched secret. He couldn’t let them know. 

The second side-effect was a gnawing empathy. It was well-known that dementors fed on the happiness of people, but no one but he and Tony knew that they could sense the whole range of emotions. 

It weighed down on him. He couldn’t be around Bucky anymore, his crushing loneliness and despair were knives to his gut. The frantic nervousness of first-years set him on edge. And his friends… Loki could feel their curiosity, their need to know why he’d disappeared for so long. 

The only person whose emotions didn’t make him hate himself even more was Tony. He was, Tony was, his emotions were like a flurry, dancing petals in the wind, if Loki was going to be poetic about it. 

Tony just felt more alive than anyone else. His emotions were quick, fluttering joy, euphoric snaps of genius, and the general amazement for the world. He wasn’t all positive. Loki knew that when there was no one else around that Tony sunk into himself. That was one of the two reasons Loki had practically moved into Tony’s dorm room. 

Loki let Tony’s emotions swirl around him, brushing away the cobweb-like insecurity and sense of having no place in the world. 

And making Tony feel a bit better was a bonus. 

Loki gathered up his Jackalope, Bertie, onto his bed. Her little antlers had grown slightly and her whisker-kisses tickled him. 

If he had it his way, he’d only ever be around Bertie and Tony. 

*

Riri had to admit, being a member of Stark had netted her more friends than she’d expected. It was even more than she’d made in her classes. 

Though she was friends with Tony’s friends, she still felt like an outsider. Not because she was muggle-born, she’d met a few others that were too. It was just that Tony was so tight with his group of friends. They included her in their activities, but often spoke about things she didn’t understand

It was Friday night, and Riri was still reeling from everything. She saw a flying broom! (And promptly wanted to take it apart, but Mister Wilson said no.) She made her first potion! (Then scraped the gunk off the bottom of the cauldron to investigate and possibly taste later.) She sat near a random staircase and mapped its movements and timing! (She didn’t know how that could come in handy, but it was good to know!)

Riri had tried to follow a Slytherin student to find their dorm, but had been been caught. (Hufflepuff and Gryffindor had been much easier. Ravenclaw was next on her list!) She’d gotten into more than one argument with a painting and missed (a few) classes. She’d dived into the book Tony wrote about secret passages and was having a good time startling people (though they didn’t appreciate it nearly as much as she did). 

She met Bruce, who could explain things to her! (In contrast with Tony’s jumpy logic that she would eventually catch up with!) Janet had taken her under her wing, teaching her about the wizarding culture (and making her new clothes so that she wouldn’t stand out as a muggle-born). Jim, aka Rhodey, coached her on how to deal with Tony’s crazier aspects, before promptly realizing Riri had her own set of quirks. 

They were all great, but Riri was set on making her own group of friends—Not because she was lonely, she very rarely was wont for company, but because her parents wanted to insure that all her eggs weren’t in one basket. It was silly, considering she’d rarely found the time back at her old school to make friends, but… her parents had been freaked out enough when she explained her odd situation in being sorted in a house with only one other students was. 

As such! Riri had invited the most promising first-years to come with her to the Room of Lost Wands. She was a bit nervous. She could have gone with Carol and Maria, who’d already visited, but Carol seemed to be single-mindedly having her nose to the grindstone (a muggle saying that weirded out the wizard/witch compatriots), studying all the time. Maria was right there with her, but instead of studying she tried to bribe Carol with biscuits to lure her out of the library. They were a team and Riri didn’t think she could take part without it being awkward. 

With them crossed off her literal list of first-years she’d interacted with, her three picks were: Yelena (Slytherin), Lester Poindexter (Ravenclaw), and Foggy (Hufflepuff). She kept their houses diverse so that it was less likely that they’d bond without her around. It was a strategic point on her part that that made Janet lament on how weird she was and how “That isn’t how you make friends”. 

She met up with Yelena first. The blonde girl was bubbly and probably the nicest person Riri had ever met. Every class they had together, Yelena would explain the things that were common wizard/witch knowledge without an ounce of judgement. And, most surprisingly, she knew how to braid Black hair! Riri had thought she’d be stuck with her puff of hair (which was really her preferred look) since she didn’t have the patience to do it herself (nor the talent). Riri was still a little off-put by how few minorities there were in Hogwarts.

Lester Poindexter, or Dex as he preferred being called, was just a Grade-A weirdo. He was fidgety and didn’t really know how to talk to others. Riri just wanted to crack open his head and see all that he was hiding, but since that was illegal and she really didn’t know that much about brain anatomy she’d have to go the route of befriending him. 

Now Foggy, he was a strange little duckling. She’d broken through his awko-taco layer though. He kind of hid in her shadow or another student’s named Matt. Riri might not really feel the urge or need for friends, but he clearly needed them. 

Once they were all together Riri babbled on as she took them through one of the secret passages that was a straight shot to the Room of Lost Wands. (They weren’t allowed to know the exact location until Tony approved of them.) Yelena joked with her, her laughter clear as bells. Dex added in awkwardly and Yelena smoothed over what he was trying to say, causing him to fidget a little less. Foggy was silent, but in the dark tunnels she could see his tentative smile. 

*

3am. Natasha woke as she always did on Saturday mornings. Without waking her dorm-mates (who she may have habitually drugged every Friday night), she changed into her sparing clothes and pulled her hair back. She was a combination of annoyed and excited. It would be the first time she put Yelena back in her place since winter break of her first year. After she’d soundly trounced her, Yelena was shipped off to Tony Masters, Taskmaster, for intense training. It was a fearful place that Natasha had always strived never to go to. It was hard enough seeing him once a week. 

Yelena was waiting in the common room. The little pest was smiling. Yes, Natasha looked forward to reminding her who had earned the Romanoff name. They departed together. Melina, their older ‘sister’, was waiting for them just outside of the dorm. 

The scarred and near constant failure of the Red Wand program had one thing on Natasha, her concealment spells were exceptional. 

The trek to the Whomping Willow was familiar. It didn’t help Natasha’s sleepiness. She refused to show weakness though. Melina cast a snake summoning charm. It hit the knot in the tree, all the limbs freezing.

Through the tunnel they made it to the Shrieking Shack. Natasha didn’t like the place. Not because the mold set off her allergies or the many bruises she got here, but because Taskmaster set her on edge. He was a muggle, yet had access to Hogwarts. Ivan hated muggles, but still used Taskmaster. 

Melina summoned a chair and desk for herself. She pulled out a quill and parchment, ready to write Ivan a report. Natasha held back a chuckle. Last year she’d been Natasha’s punching bag, despite Melina being a head and a half taller than her. It was almost depressing. Natasha hadn’t liked fighting against her, but when Taskmaster demanded she practice a move on her, Natasha couldn’t say no. 

They were trained in more than wandwork. Ivan demanded they were the best at all things. There was no guarantee that they’d always have access to their wands, and a physical takedown was easier to pass off as a muggle murder than poison or spells.

Taskmaster was standing tall. There wasn’t anything especially cruel in his eyes. If anything, he was analytical, but with a hint of ambition. 

“Girls,” he said in greeting, his thick American accent grating on her ears. “I want to know where each of you stand compared to each other.” He was looking at Natasha and Yelena. Ivan and Taskmaster had long ago given up on Melina. “We’ll start with knives then move forward.” 

He tossed each of them an enchanted knife. The blade couldn’t cut, but with every brush with flesh they sent flaring pain that had made many pass-out. Just another tool of the Red Wand.

*

Natasha adjusted her jaw. It cracked satisfyingly. All visible signs of the hits she’d taken were hidden with Melina’s spellwork. They throbbed with every heartbeat and breath she took as she headed back to Slytherin’s dorm in the early hours to change. 

The training had not been what she expected, but the results had ultimately been in her favor. 

Yelena, her technique had hardly changed since they last sparred, but now she was more vicious—vicious and stronger. Her physique felt the same as Natasha remembered, no new musculature to explain the change. Yelena also didn’t tap out even when Natasha had her in a lock and threatened to break her arm. It was foolhardy and counter-productive. She’d have to live with the broken arm Natasha gave her until next Saturday’s training session. 

It made Natasha wonder and worry what Ivan had threatened Yelena with. She brushed off that thought. She could only worry about herself or risk a malignant sense of mercy eating her away. 

Natasha turned a corner and nearly ran into someone, Matt, the blind Ravenclaw first-year. Natasha didn’t say anything. The color in his face drained away, making his scars even more visible. He was frozen on the spot. Natasha ignored him and went on her way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this wasn't too choppy. There were parts in there that I just kinda had to throw in to keep writing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important:
> 
> Due to my freestyle writing I have to change a part of chapter 3 from this:
> 
> “It elongated, shifting into a human-form, Professor Sarkissian. She was wearing sharp green lipstick and plain black robes. Her introduction was pretty standard. Bucky felt uncomfortable after a few minutes. Her eyes were unwavering, staring right at him—No, she was practically glaring at JJ who was in turn grinning.”
> 
> To this:
> 
> “It elongated, shifting into a human-form, Professor Sarkissian. She was wearing sharp green lipstick and plain black robes. Her introduction was pretty standard. As class went on, Bucky couldn’t stop shifting in his seat, then he understood it. Dread took the air out of his lungs. Sarkissian had the same glint in her eyes that Zola used to get.”

* * *

Matt couldn’t move. That smell, that _scent_. It was of the man he feared the most. 

Tony Masters, the man that had always visited the muggle orphanage Matt was in—Never to adopt or volunteer to help. He’d only appeared in the last five-months, though the nuns seemed to already know him. They also didn’t say anything as he took a child away nearly twice a month. That alone was suspicious, but not damning. What _was_ damning was the phone call Matt had overheard. 

_“Test subject 39 is still holding on. I had to put down 46 and 33. I’ve taken another child and the two other orphonariums are still willing. I’ve modified the formula. The new batch should last longer.”_

_There was a chuckle on the other line. “Don’t rush this, Taskmaster. We’re already taking too many risks. A pandemic will do no one any good.” There was a pause. “Don’t make your shortcomings our problem.”_

Matt had only escaped Taskmaster’s notice because he was blind, but many of Matt’s friends hadn’t been that lucky. 

He’d have to pay close attention to the girl he ran into. He had to avenge his friends.

*

Clint’s back hit the wall. He pushed off of it, dodging Barney’s next punch. Barney chuckled and dropped his fists to his sides. 

“Little Yelena is making more progress than Natasha did all last year,” Barney bragged, as if they were betting on horses. 

Clint felt his automatic defense for Natasha bubble behind his lips, but he held it back. He couldn’t risk his brother sabotaging Natasha, couldn’t risk Ivan finding out and killing them both. Barney never saw it like that, though. He thought it was all a game, forgetting how Ivan used the Cruciatus curse on their father more than once. How it had driven away their mother. How she couldn’t take them with her because the Batons were blood-bound in servitude to the Romanoffs. All their pain started with Ivan, and Barney was just making it worse. 

If Ivan found out… Clint couldn’t even imagine the torture they’d be subjected to before the release of death. 

One of the problems was their blood-bond was only to Ivan since he had no living children. And Ivan wouldn’t be dying anytime soon, not with the Philosopher's Stone in his possession. Clint wasn’t supposed to know that, but how else had Ivan stayed alive as far back as the last three Barton generations that served him. Clint wished he could do something about it, but he was bound to him, and if he killed Ivan he’d die with him. Not that Clint could ever bring himself to murder someone, not even Ivan…

“I have to go,” Clint said, giving nothing away.

“You’re pathetic, Natasha’s lapdog. She doesn’t give a shit about you,” Barney said snidely.

Clint clenched his jaw, not wanting to fall for his taunts. Barney didn’t see what Clint did in Natasha. He knew she could break away from Ivan if she focused herself on it, but right now Ivan had her so twisted that she’d think freedom was a trap, another test. 

He left Barney behind, heading to the Quidditch pitch. Mister Wilson had agreed to let him get a ‘refresher’ on the basics of Quidditch. After a bit of Natasha-brand maneuvering he made it so that he’d assist with the Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff/Stark class. 

He arrived early, helping Mister Wilson pull out the brooms as well as the Quidditch gear so they could practice after class. He nodded along and responded as Wilson gave him a few tricks of the trade since he’d been a professional Quidditch player. It was fun, and Clint tried not to feel guilty that he was using Wilson and his boundless enthusiasm. 

The lone Stark student was first to arrive with a Ravenclaw and Foggy. She latched onto a broom before Wilson warned her to put it down until he gave them instructions. Riri kept edging closer to it everytime Wilson’s back was turned. 

Clint walked up to the trio, smiling, but not having a lick of an idea on what to say. That was Natasha’s thing. “Excited?” he asked.

“Yup!” Riri squatted by the broom. He could almost feel her enthusiasm. 

“I was never allowed to use the brooms back home,” Foggy said. “Mum thinks I’m too young and wanted me not to take flying till next year.” He was gnawing on his lip. 

“I’m an experienced flier. I’ll keep close to you just in case.” Clint received a tentative smile in return. 

The other boy was messing with his tie, curling up then smoothing it out repeatedly. “I played Quidditch.” His voice was stilted. “I like it.” 

“You _have_ to teach me,” Riri said. It looked like she’d pulled out a piece of straw from the broom—and was chewing it.

“What position do you like to play?” Clint asked, not sure if the Ravenclaw was one of Natasha’s targets or not. “I’m Clint Barton, a second-year. I’m helping Mister Wilson.” 

“Lester Poindexter, err, just Dex.” He stood up straight, surprising Clint by how he seemed to completely change. He looked confident and not like a breeze would knock him over. “I’m a beater.” 

“We’ve had first-years make it onto the team before. You just have to show how good of a player you are and Mister Wilson might allow you to try out.” Clint winked at him and Dex’s eyes gleamed. 

That might help get him out of the way from Foggy and give Clint a chance to step into the place he vacated. Morgana’s icy tits! He was starting to think like Natasha, and wasn’t the least bit happy about it. 

Laura Steppington, the first-year Hufflepuff whose rich family had global connections, arrived just before Wilson started his lecture, not giving Clint a chance to talk to her. Instead, he waved at her and the few other Huffs that had agreed to be in his study group that would meet this Wednesday. He still wasn’t sure how he’d pull that off. His grades were solidly mid-field. Most of his classes didn’t interest him, but he’d have to do this to support Natasha. 

The class started out smoothly, then everything sort of went sideways. A small group of Ravenclaws were debating how brooms work instead of listening to Wilson. Riri took off on her broom before Wilson could even teach them the ‘Up’ command. He went chasing after her as she let out a delighted scream. Clint was talking up Foggy when Dex took to the broom and grabbed a Beater’s bat and practice bludger from the equipment. He sent the (cushioned) bludger at the group of Ravenclaws, sending them scattering. 

That really was not what Clint meant about showing Wilson his skills.

Clint had to take control of the situation. He wasn’t a leader though, and tried to think what Natasha would do. Somehow she’d turn this in her favor. 

He patted Foggy on the shoulder. “We’ll practice more a bit later, mate.” He took his broom away. “Everyone step away from the brooms! Dex, get down here!” 

Dex laughed loudly, reminding Clint a bit too much of Yelena. 

With a flick of his wand, Clint summoned a bat to himself then took to the air on a broom. From there it was a strange game of Dex trying to hit him with the bludger while Clint tried to send it back to its box where it would become inactive. And… it was brilliantly fun. 

Clint smiled openly feeling free for the first time in memory as they went back and forth. 

Wilson rang his whistle, getting everyone’s attention. The bludger went flying towards Wilson, slowing down before landing softly in his hand. He was carrying Riri over his shoulder, who was unconscious yet somehow looked pleased with herself. 

Instead of the scowl Clint was expecting, Wilson was smiling. 

“It looks like we’ll have some competition on the pitch this year.” He winked at them. “Class is dismissed while I take Ms. Williams to Madame Cho. Mr. Barton and Mr.,” he paused. 

“Poindexter.” On his own two feet and facing the professor, Dex had seemed to shrink back into himself. 

“Mr. Poindexter. You two are to clean up all the brooms and equipment. And no more flying until tryouts.” 

*

Carol didn’t think her bloody nose was a big deal. It had been only a little fight and Thor had started it. As it was, the pair was being taken to Hospital Wing by Professor Carter. 

Though they both had gotten in their fair share of hits and lost house points, Thor was the one who came out in the worst of it. But that was only because Professor Carter reminded him that she would have no delinquents on her Quidditch team. 

Carol almost wished they were in different houses so that she could one-up him in that. She may have never been allowed to ride a broom before, but it looked so fun and freeing that there was no way she wouldn’t be good at it. 

Once in the hands of Madame Cho, Professor Carter left them with another warning. 

They were told to wait their turn as Madame Cho was working on another firstie, Riri. She had the habit of asking a million and one questions in class that very rarely had anything to do with what they were learning about. Carol didn’t understand her, but was just glad they only had two classes together. 

Riri had a large bump on her forehead, but seemed completely engrossed in looking at a piece of straw as she was healed up.

“You first-years need to know your place,” Thor grumbled. “Upper-years have first dibs on the seats closest to the fireplace.” 

Carol rolled her eyes. “Only babies use the word ‘dibs’,” she retorted. 

Thor puffed up, but voices in the distance distracted him. 

“I should write a letter!” a girl said while walking into the Hospital Wing. She was a Ravenclaw who Carol saw in the Room of Lost Wands. Carol couldn’t really remember her name though. She was with Matt. “This is ridiculous.” 

Carol glanced at Thor. He was staring openly at them—No, at the cute blonde girl. 

Carol grinned. She might not know much about crushes, but she could tell Thor had one. 

“It doesn’t matter, Jane,” Matt said. “I wasn’t interested in Quidditch anyway.” He shrugged. 

“But what about the blind kids that come after you? What if one of them wants to learn to fly?” Jane wheeled to look at him. “We can make the change so that other students won’t have to suffer.” 

Matt sighed. 

Madame Cho glanced over at them before flicking her wand at an ornate cabinet. A jar of silvery-green contents came out and made a buzzing sound as it came closer to Matt. He opened his hand and it landed there. 

“Thank you, Madame Cho.” 

“Of course, Mr. Murdock.” 

“I can get Darcy’s aunt to write an article about them not letting you learn how to fly!” Jane went on. 

Matt said something softly that Carol couldn’t hear. He sat on one of the beds and began applying the cream to the scars that surrounded his eyes.

Jane frowned before she looked around the room. Her eyes flitted over Thor before landing on Carol. 

Thor sucked in a breath when Jane started coming over to them. Carol did nothing to hide her smirk. 

“You’re Carol, right?” Jane asked tentatively. 

“Yeah.” Carol dabbed at her bloody nose with a tissue. Jane sent Thor a murderous glare before leading Carol away.

“If Thor is picking on you Jim and Janet can make his life a living hell until he learns his manners,” Jane offered. 

Carol didn’t roll her eyes even though she wanted to. “I can take care of Thor myself. He’s all talk.”

Jane pursed her lips, glancing back at Thor. “Well, if you change your mind…” She waited for a response, but didn’t get one. “How is your new wand treating you?”

That was… a sore subject for Carol. Tony refused payment for the wand he made her. Carol hated being a charity case, especially since some of the ingredients he used on the wand sounded rare. The wand didn’t even look like the others. It had a faint golden glow to it and Tony went on and on about how she could change its color. 

And, it felt like an extension of her arm. With just a thought she could summon it to her hand. She could sense it in her nightstand when she tried to sleep. It hummed, _sang,_ to her comfortingly for only her ears. 

The sense of being in someone’s debt, of having to rely on other people felt like a stone in her stomach. She hated it and was determined to pay Tony back tenfold.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stevvveeeee!

* * *

Peggy rubbed her brow. How was it possible that things kept getting tenser. It was her first meeting with Ms. Potts since the new school year started, but it was far less than what she was practically bombarded with from the student. 

Just about every two week during the break she’d received a letter from her—All having to do with Peggy’s Gryffindor student who’d been taken from them, Steve Rogers. Sometimes Ms. Potts wrote her about laws she dug up having to do with werewolves, who to talk to in the Ministry to enact change, or older werewolf cultures that focused on meditation to work through their mind-loss during transformations. 

Ms. Potts forwarded letters of other werewolf communities she’d somehow gotten into contact with who were willing to consider taking Steve in. If only it was that simple. Germany’s government had a strained relationship with Mond Town. Despite her and Angie’s research, they couldn’t quite parse it out. It didn’t help that the German Oligarchy and Britain’s Ministry weren’t on good terms, an after effect of Germany not warning them about the muggles’ Blitzkrieg during one of their wars. Many lost their lives that day, before the Ministry sent out Aurors and volunteers to put up protective charms around wizarding homes and dwellings. 

It had been easy to tell on their first meeting that they were self-sufficient and prideful. She had easily squeezed out an agreement from Johann Schmidt, their leader, that he’d contact the British Ministry on Mr. Rogers behalf to put to rest the Ministry’s worries. Peggy had thought the lack of response from the Ministry was because they were being obstinate and trying to put the whole werewolf experimentation scandal behind them. She was wrong though. It was only recently that she’d became aware that they were fanatical. And she had been the one to put him there. 

Peggy sighed. Taking Mr. Rogers to Germany had been the only option at the time, but that didn’t mean she didn’t regret it. If only she’d been better informed. If only she’d known where the Howling Commandos were when the Ministry and Zola decided to hurt her student. 

But now there was a sliver of hope. She hadn’t told Ms. Potts though, not risking somehow jinxing it. 

*

_ Steve couldn’t pin-point the moment everything started blurring. Things were just… Things hadn’t been going his way for a long time. Everything since losing his parents had set the tone for his life. He’d had Bucky though and a safe home, had gotten into Gryffindor, and even made more friends than he’d ever believed he could. No one had even made fun of his height or skinniness. That was all in the past though.  _

_ Now he suffered from shivers and pin-prick pain that came in waves. His skin was bone-white and he became light-headed with even the smallest exertion.  _

_ Every full-moon he was tormented. He kept his human form, but was haunted by the howling and vicious snarling of the werewolves of Mond Town. None of them attacked his hut though. They could tell he wasn’t exactly human, even though he wished he was. Even if that meant he lost all his magic. Even if the Ministry took all his memories because he was a muggle, he knew Bucky would still be his friend and brother despite everything.  _

_ The worst was probably the blackouts though. Sometimes he could feel his mind slipping away. Everytime he panicked that this would be the one to do him in. That he’d either die or somehow turn into a werewolf and never change back.  _

_ Steve was going out of his mind. Only three people ever acknowledge him in Mond Town, Red Skull, his daughter Sinthea, and Dr. Erskine.  _

_ Near the start, Red Skull had pestered him, trying to ‘teach’ Steve that werewolves were superior. When that didn’t work, he spoke about how Steve could change everything, could be their savior, but he didn’t get it. Didn’t  _ _ want _ _ to get what he was implying. Maybe it was then that his tiny world started blurring.  _

_ Somehow Steve ended up living in Red Skull’s home, a log cabin that was larger than all the other homes. He had his own bedroom that was beside Sinthea’s. It was opulent to the point of almost being comical. But the bed was the softest thing he’d ever felt before. But it was nothing compared to back home where he shared a room with Bucky and could hear Bucky’s dad snoring through the walls.  _

_ Sinthea was peculiar. She taught him about werewolf societies and the supposed origin of werewolves. Everytime she ended up going back to the point that werewolves were the chosen ones of the great wolf that would destroy all those excluding its ‘children’. She went on and on about how the world would be better then. She was always holding something back though, something that he was too scared to ask about.  _

_ Dr. Erskine was… Initially Steve had been wary of him. He was like Zola, interested in werewolves and conducting experiments. Steve’s loneliness overcame his fear though. Erskine was also an outcast and he had food that wasn’t raw meat. Steve never realized how much of an impact on his soul not having enough food could be. The Barnes family wasn’t the richests, but they provided them with full meals made with love.  _

_ But Steve was seeing less and less of Erskine. The scientists was jittery and a werewolf was always accompanying him now.  _

_ Steve didn’t know what to do. If he could even do anything. _

_ He felt so powerless. He was trapped and had no one he could speak with openly, and he was beginning to think that Bucky and his friends had forgotten him.  _

*

It was hard for Bucky to find a moment of peace—as close to peace as he could ever get with Steve taken away. His dorm room was filled with Frandral and Volstagg’s chatter. The commons had constant student traffic. The library just reminded him of all the times he’d spent there with Steve and their friends. 

When he was outside, Professor Green tried to cheer him up. Inside, Tony always somehow found him. 

Bucky was starting to resent him. He was the one that exposed Steve as a werewolf to the Daily Prophet, if he had just rescued Steve like he was supposed to—Bucky tried not to think about it. 

As it was, he found himself in the Quidditch stands, idly watching Hufflepuff students gather up for try-outs. He’d seen a few of them look at him, heard them whisper about shooing him away since he wasn’t in their house, but others spoke against it,  _ pitying _ him. 

He saw JJ start to scale the stands and readied himself to leave. 

“Wait, it’s important,” JJ called out. Bucky ignored him. “It’s about Steve Rogers!” Bucky froze before turning on him. 

“If this is some sort of joke I’ll make you eat your teeth,” Bucky warned. 

JJ shook his head coming face to face with him. “My dad is a Howling Commando, you know. And—” he stuttered all over, before taking a deep breath. “They’re trying to save your friend, but there’s something else. If you want to get your friend back at Hogwarts we have to dig up a few secrets.” 

“Secrets?” Bucky asked, trying to piece together what JJ was saying. 

He nodded again. “There’s at least one werewolf attending Hogwarts, and we have to find them.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this story (series)~ Hope you're enjoying it too!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't get a chance to edit this one as much as I was hoping to. Let me know if you see any errors!

* * *

Tony was dragging along Loki, despite his sighs and grumbles of dissent. As far as Tony was concerned, this was a step in the right direction. 

“Exercise and fresh air are good for the soul,” Tony chirped. He could already see Loki’s argument budding. “And you  _ do _ have a soul, Lokes.” 

Loki’s mouth snapped shut. 

Tony couldn’t hide his giddiness as they headed to the pitch. He was also looking forward to a chance at getting to fly with Loki if he got on the team. By now everyone knew Tony was an Animagus. Partially because Howard was an asshole and made an announcement about it so he couldn’t use it as a trick, as if that would keep Tony out of trouble. 

“Pietro probably misses you too.” Tony chuckled. “He’s stuck with that Ultron kid now.” Tony moved a bit closer to him. “And now you have a chance to knock Thor down a peg or two.” That got Loki to crack the smallest of grins. Success! 

“What about Jim?” Loki asked softly. 

Tony shrugged slightly before looping his arm with Loki’s. “Gryffindor has won the last three house-cups. I’m sure Rhodey will survive after you trounce him at Quidditch and win all the house points.” And it was always good to keep his honey-bear on his toes. Oh! Maybe then Rhodey and Loki could bond over Quidditch!

As much as Tony had been tugging and finessing (as much as he could ever be subtle), Loki had dug his feet in and blocked his friends out. 

Tony puffed up with a smile. “And with your eyes it will be easy to find the snitch, a line of magic tailing it.” 

Loki had the opposite reaction of what Tony was hoping. Loki stared at the ground, his feet dragging. “But what if they… if they find out.” 

Tony squeezed his arm. “That just means you have to be as cool as a cucumber. Mess with the other players! Rile up the crowd! Taunt Thor!” 

Loki snorted, but Tony could tell he wasn’t convinced.

“This isn’t the pros, Loki-Doki. You’ll just be another student athlete. The only ones that will be watching closely are the professors and they already…” He didn’t need to finish his sentence. Tony was still mad at the professors, Howard, and Loki’s parents for keeping the truth away from Loki. 

When they made it to the pitch, Tony was startled to see that Natasha was trying out. It gave Loki pause too. 

“Just ignore her.” Tony let go of Loki. After another huff, Loki headed to the other Slytherins. Pietro ran up to Loki, a smile in place. Good, maybe they could become friends again. 

Tony sat in the stands, looking at them. 

As always, his eyes drifted to pretty things, or a pretty person in this case. Natasha Romanoff was… Tony didn’t like her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t admire how pretty she was. 

Her dark red hair was french braided back. It wasn’t too cold out, but her cheeks were flushed pink. She also had a certain presence that Tony wished he could have, not her inherent intimidation, but the way she never looked small despite being the shortest on the pitch. She carried herself with confidence that was grounded in a way his wasn’t. It was… kinda extraordinary sometimes. 

Tony blinked and turned away from her when someone sat beside him. 

“Hey, Tony!” Yelena, Riri’s friend, said. 

“Hey,” he said, smiling in response. 

Where Natasha was pretty, Yelena was cute. Like Natasha, he was wary of her. She’d been nothing, but nice to him and Riri, but, maybe it was one of Tony’s phoenix senses or the intuition for other people that Pepper claimed he didn’t have. He just—He didn’t trust her. It was one of the main reasons he hadn’t let her look at the book in the Room of Lost Wands that had all the secret passages in it. He claimed to Riri that they had to get to know her better before showing it to her. Riri had frowned, but was quick to bounce back. 

Tony still wasn’t sure how he was doing with Riri. He’d talked about it a few times with Pepper. That was barely a comfort though. 

“Riri was telling me about a spell you taught her that makes a person’s tie smack them in the face,” Yelena said with a smile. There it was again, a sort of trilling in his mind like a startled dog’s yelp. If he was in his other form, he felt like his feathers would be puffed up to double his size. 

Tony didn’t really know what to say. He was used to just blurting whatever jumped into his head without a lick of worry. Why was he like this with her? Was it a crush? No, that didn’t make any sense. He didn’t think about her unless she was in front of him or Riri mentioned her. Then what exactly was it? 

He must have been quiet too long. Yelena started back up. “I’m so jealous that you and Riri get to hang out. None of the older students in Slytherin pay attention to me.”

“Then why are you here?” he blurted. There were no Slytherin first-years trying out. 

“House pride,” she said then glanced at the pitch. “No one likes Slytherin. They need my support.” 

A likely story. 

He turned his attention back to Loki. He was standing next to Pietro, who was showing off his broom. Tony couldn’t be sure, but it looked like the newest high-end model. A self-conscious part of him reared its ugly head. Even though he and Loki had been spending tons of time together, even more than Tony spent with Riri or any of his other friends, he couldn’t help but worry Loki would abandon him. 

Everything was just so much busier now that he actually had to attend classes. None of the classwork was particularly challenging, but he felt like he was suffocating. 

His friends were his lifeline. He’d already lost Steve, and despite everything they tried, Bucky was slipping away. Fitz/Simmons were studying abroad. Jane and Darcy were a matching set, making him feel like an outsider. Pepper and Rhodey were busy with their classes getting harder since they were grades above him. Bruce had also changed since he went to the US. He was more outgoing, and Tony knew he should be happy about that, but he wasn’t. He still had Janet, but… If Loki slipped away from him, Tony wasn’t sure what he’d do for himself. 

Everything was changing, and it scared Tony. 

*

Clint had made the first cut for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, but the second round was going to be held Saturday evening. He’d tried out for beater, even though chaser would suit him better due to his spectacular aim. He stuck to beater though because the other Hufflepuffs that were trying out for chasers had already been on the team for multiple years. Clint was hedging his bet. Natasha would be so proud. 

Merlin, he didn’t know how to act around her anymore. Since Yelena had started school Natasha had been wound up tight. She was snapping at him, only ever letting her anger show in front of him. Clint wasn’t even sure she noticed, or worse, she didn’t care. 

He couldn’t believe that though. They’d grown up separately, despite living on the same estate. Clint had been forced both by his father and to keep himself from getting attached to her or any of the other girls, since so many of them disappeared. 

That was actually one of his first memories, all the girls that occupied Romanoff Castle—and how many of them were culled each year. Each year 12 five-year-old girls would arrive on the estate. They were confined to one part of the castle. Clint wasn’t sure what happened then, but by the next year their number would be substantially lower. It was when they turned six that their training began, but every year the ‘failures’ would disappear. 

In Clint’s entire memory only five girls had made it pass the age of 11, Natasha, Yelena, Melina, and two older girls he didn’t know the names of—And he had no way of knowing if those two were still alive. Natasha had once let it slip that they’d been sent to infiltrate other schools. 

It was all in order for Ivan to take over the wizarding world, and then the muggle world. Not that Clint could ever say as much. The blood-curse that bound his family to Ivan was a knife to his throat, a slipped word on his part ready to slice him and bleed him dry. 

He had a long-term plan, though; one that was ridiculous and put a child in danger. On the Romanoff estate, the truth of Ivan’s plan was easily found out. If Clint got married and had his wife birth a child that wasn’t his own, then that child could learn the secrets for theirself and take it to the authorities. 

Clint forced himself away from his desperate and painful thoughts. 

There was nothing he could do about the cruelty that sprung from everything Ivan touched. For now, he had to just try to avoid Barney and Yelena, keep an eye on Melina, and help Natasha.

In that same vein, today was the first Hufflepuff study-session Natasha had come up with. She’d done drills with him, making him regret not paying better attention last year. He’d just always been so distracted by Natasha, following her orders, playing her games, and subtly trying to show her that there was more to life than being Ivan’s chess piece.

Everything he did was for Natasha, since he didn’t have anyone else. 

Clint had used the Huff, the Hufflepuff house newsletter run by Christine Everhart, to advertise the tutoring/study session for first-years. That being said, he was surprised when two upper-years were there. 

It was Darcy Lewis, a second-year who paid about as much attention in class as Clint did, and Pepper Potts, the epitome of perfection. He knew that more than one student had a crush on her. Natasha had judged she’d go places in the wizarding world, but Melina was already her friend and trying to steal her would irritate Ivan. 

As Clint had hoped, Foggy and Laura were in attendance, along with a few Huff first-years Natasha had deemed unimportant. Strangely enough, Laura kept glancing at Darcy. Her shoulders were a bit hunched and her books were stacked up in front of her like a barrier. 

“You’re a hard person to find, Clint,” Pepper said. “I prepared a few first-year study guides over summer break that I think this group can benefit from.” 

Clint’s eyes lit up. “Awesome! Thank you!” That would make his life so much easier. 

Christine scoffed from one table over in the common room and murmured, “nerd.” The pair was notorious for their feud that was completely one-sided on Christine’s part. Clint didn’t get it, but Natasha found it amusing the few times he whined about it and she actually listened. 

Despite Christine’s mingled insults, the study group went great. He was hoping Natasha would praise him when he reported to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks for Elyrian_XIII helping me brainstorm! Much love!


	8. Chapter 8

Carol was always alert to her surroundings. It had nothing to do with her home life, but because she had the bad habit of making enemies. She just really, really,  _ really _ hated stupid people. So when a dynamic in Gryffindor changed, she took notice. 

It was one of Tony’s friends. His name began with a B or something and he used to slink around like every breath was a burden. Now he was constantly by the side of JJ, who she only knew the name of because she’d read a book about the Howling Commandos when she was younger and they were kind of her idol, and he was James Morita’s kid. 

They were thick as thieves, but so long as they didn’t mess with her she didn’t care. 

Another nuisance started yammering as she sat in the Gryffindor common room. And of course it was Thor. Of  _ course _ it was Thor. 

Carol had learned all the cliche characteristics of a Gryffindor from a preachy upper-year—And Thor demonstrated them in all the worst ways. 

“I’ll just have to bulk up next year,” Frandral said with his nose in the air. Thor patted him on the back roughly. Carol had already heard the news, both because the captain of the Quidditch team announced it and because Thor was a loudmouth. Thor and Volstagg had gotten onto the team. 

Carol almost wished that Frandral had too. Then there would be less of a chance of them hanging around the tower. Either way, Sif would still be around and she had a way of encouraging them. 

“You eat like a bird! What did you expect?” Volstagg let out a hearty laugh. 

“Perhaps when you reach puberty you’ll have a chance…” Sif dragged out, getting more than one snicker in return. 

Frandral looked despondent. 

“Worry not, my friend!” Thor nearly shouted. “Slytherin’s team must be desperate if they let Loki join!”

Carol rolled her eyes and wished Maria was here so that they could commiserate together. Her closest (and only) friend at Hogwarts was much more outgoing than her. She’d already made a lot of friends, both in and out of Gryffindor. Carol didn’t want to feel left behind, but she kind of did. She shoved that emotion away by reminding herself that she had to be the very best to prove her father wrong. 

“We should remind him of his place,” Frandral said, quieter than Carol had ever heard him before. 

From the corner of her eye she saw Thor perk up. The four of them huddled in, their whispers slipping away from her hearing range. 

Carol closed her book and walked slowly by them. She didn’t pick up much other than the words: prank and bilgesnipe. 

Carol knew Loki was one of Tony’s friends. This was the perfect chance to go to Tony and pay him back for the wand, even though it was never going to be enough. 

She dropped her books off in her dorm before going to the second-year girl’s dorm. Janet wasn’t there and she couldn’t ask anyone to check for Jim. After a moment of contemplation she remembered that one of Tony’s friends, Jane, was always in the library studying while her Hufflepuff friend snoozed. 

As she headed to the library, she thought about the Dueling Club that had done an exhibition match last weekend. Her father was a semi-famous dueler. If Carol could make a name for herself here, she might have a chance at proving to her father that there was more to witches than just staying home and having babies—And then maybe he’d accept her.

She shook those thoughts out of her mind. 

It wasn’t hard to find Jane in the library, and her sleeping friend. Carol was in luck, Tony and Loki were there too. Also Riri, who was scribbling something down furiously with poor penmanship. It would have been nice if Jim and Janet were there, since she was semi-comfortable around them, but that was life. 

Carol also felt her gut clench. This wouldn’t be enough repayment to Tony for the wand. So many other students fawned over her wand. She wasn’t sure if she could tell them where she got it. They just assumed it was an United Wizarding States of America thing, despite Maria having a normal wand. Some of the wizards and witches that Carol figured were wealthy mentioned going to the UWSA just to buy a wand like hers. It made her feel a little ill, thinking about how much money they were willing to throw away just for a chance at having an interesting wand. 

She cleared her throat quietly before approaching them. “I have information,” she said, not liking how business like she sounded, but not knowing how to change it. 

Tony beamed at her. “Carol! Sit, sit, sit! What gossip do you bring to our table?” Somehow she’d forgotten how overenthusiastic he could be, just like Riri. Maybe that was why they were put in the same house. 

“It’s not gossip.” After a pause she took a seat by Jane, who was poking awake her friend. She noticed that Loki’s eyes were firmly set on the table. “Thor, Sif, Frandral, and Volstagg are planning to do something to Loki for getting onto the Quidditch team. I only heard them mention a bilgesnipe.” Loki sunk into his seat as the other (excluding Riri who hadn’t noticed her) puffed up in his defense. 

Jane and Darcy started cursing them out while Tony put his arm around Loki’s shoulder. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked even though she didn’t want to get involved. 

Tony shook his head. “No, I can take care of this.” He smiled at her, but it looked forced. “Thank you.” He turned to the others. “Jane, Darce, take Loki to our room. I’ll do some investigating.” 

Tony warped in front of Carol’s eyes in a split second, becoming a phoenix. She gaped at him before he blinked out of existence with a lick of fire.

*

Tony was once again grateful that he didn’t have an older sibling. Bruce was enough for him, thank you very much. 

Tony just couldn’t understand why Thor could be so shitty to Loki. Mrs. and Mr. Borson, despite Loki’s begging, had told Thor about Loki’s origins and what he was. Tony hadn’t been there when he reacted to it, but Loki said Thor hadn’t said a word, only looking at him strangely and with a hint of disgust. 

In his phoenix form Tony had hopped from the flames of sconce to sconce, following Thor and his shitty friends. It also sent him into the Gryffindor boy’s second-year dorm, in which he witnessed Bucky and JJ being friends. Tony hated that they were losing Bucky, but was happy he wasn’t alone. 

From what Tony picked up their plot was for them to get Bilgesnipe musk from the potions classroom and dump it on Loki. The musk was infamous for stinking to the point of making those around it throw-up. It was also hard to wash out. What a bunch of assholes. 

Tony really couldn’t understand how Thor could be so shitty. 

He felt like he was channeling Janet’s famous protectiveness. He’d make them pay somehow. 

Fury’s ingredient cabinets were always locked up tight. The only chance they’d have to swipe the musk was during class when they were making potions. Tony did have one thing going for him, he had class with them and it wouldn’t be hard to hide in the cauldron fires when Thor had class, in case he was the one that was trying to steal it.

Tony was lucky that he succeeded on his first attempt to figure out when Thor’s Potions Class was, and, even better, it was during Tony’s DADA class. Aunty Peggy, though being very strict, always let him slide. To appease her further, he wrote an essay for the material that was going to be covered in class. It was dull work, but easy.

“I hope you’re not up to mischief,” she said while taking the essay.

“Psh, that doesn’t sound like me.” He put his hand on his chest with a look of innocents. “I promised Howard that I’d be a perfect student.”

Peggy gave him an unimpressed look. “If you refuse to call him your father, you should at least call him by his proper title as headmaster.”

Tony ignored her comment. “Thank you, aunty.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving.

*

Being in a cauldron’s fire was different than other fires he’d been in before. He’d known they used kindling from magic rich trees and a variety of salts, but he’d never known what that meant. He felt like his feathers were being cleansed despite him not being corporal.

Fury somehow knew he was there. He gave him a whispered warning, but otherwise didn’t do anything. Bless Uncle Fury and him being used to Tony’s antics.

Tony kept a steady eye on Thor, and mentally cringed at his terrible knife work. He was holding the small blade all wrong, he clearly hadn’t sharpened it since first-years’ class on proper care of tools, and he kept glancing at the notes while using the knife. He was more likely to hurt himself than actually cut the herbs. 

He didn’t do anything suspicious during class and when he left, Tony was quick to leap away before Fury could try to strong-arm him into talking.

*

Janet was 100% ready to throw hands. No one went after one of hers and went unpunished. 

As it stood, Janet was hyper-vigilant in their potions class. Loki was beside her at a two seater table near the back left corner. Tony was behind them alone. Pietro and Natasha were at the table beside them, drawing Loki into a conversation about Quidditch since they were all on the team. 

Her heart pinched when she saw that Bucky chose to sit far away from them with JJ, just like in every class. She didn’t know how to break through to him. 

Instead of their usual table, Frandral and Volstagg were by one of the ingredient cabinets. Even more suspiciously, Sif was at a table far away from them. 

“She’s going to be the distraction,” Tony whispered from behind her. She nodded, even though they’d already figured out their plan and gone over it twice. 

Professor Fury arrived, conjuring up his notes from last class onto the board. After a brief recap he told them to light their cauldron fires. 

Tony sighed as he walked past them. She knew her poor turtle dove was frustrated that he wasn’t getting any house points since the professors didn’t call on him. They were aware that he already knew what was being covered. Like in Herbology, Tony was made into the professor’s assistant. 

Fury unlocked the cabinets, one of which held the Bilgesnipe musk. Tony manned them, handing out the ingredients to the students who came up to him. Janet chewed on her lip. She didn’t want to get up to get the ingredients and leave Loki alone. After a moment of thought, they went up as a pair, Janet guarding his back as Loki got the ingredients. 

Volstagg, Frandral, and Sif didn’t pull anything, but that just made her stomach clench tighter. She hated that they were in her house, but at least that meant she could keep a closer eye on them. 

Tony closed the cabinets, but left the one with the musk ajar. 

Fury stood at the front of the classroom, going through the instructions step by step as Tony flitted around to correct the form and measurements of the other students. 

Janet was too focused on looking for danger to pay attention to their cauldron, but Tony had schooled them before about the base potion so Loki was going through it easily enough. 

It was also hard for Janet not to stare daggers at those assholes. If they saw her looking, they might change their plan. 

Mid-class, Sif’s potion made a cracking noise and caught on fire. Fury and Tony moved swiftly over to her, their backs turned towards the cabinets. 

Frandral ducked under his desk, crawled to the cabinet and slowly opened the door. Volstagg was shifting in his seat, eyes flicking around. Frandral retrieved it and Volstagg stuffed the jar in his satchel. The pair looked as happy as clams and gave Sif a sign. She smiled at them.

Once the fire was out, the class proceeded normally, but with her and her friends on alert. She noticed that Natasha was looking around warily too, but that might just be because she always seemed on edge. 

When class let out, Sif, Volstagg, and Frandral were the first ones to leave. Tony and Janet exchanged a look before he followed them out. “It’s going to be okay,” Janet said to Loki who couldn’t seem to bring his eyes up from the ground. 

Her heart felt pinched. 

There was a commotion outside. Janet and Loki were just in time to see the jar toppling out of Volstagg’s bag and smashing open. It splashed all over them, but met with a barrier before it could hit anyone else. 

Frandral immediately fell to his hands and knees, throwing up. Sif paled, trying to hide her nose in her robe. Volstagg was casting  _ Scrougify _ spell with no success. 

Fury appeared, his one eye landing on their broken jar and Volstagg’s open satchel. It wasn’t hard to put the clues together.

Janet, Loki, and Tony had to hold back their laughter till they were safely around the corner. They still had one thing they had to do though: get revenge on Thor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun chapter to write~ I hope you like it!


	9. Chapter 9

Natasha wasn’t sure how she felt. There was just so much going on. Clint seemed happier now that he was on the Quidditch team and had a study group. Now he had people other than her. She felt like she was losing him. At the same time, Natasha was edging into something close to friendship with her own Quidditch team. She was a chaser like Pietro. Suddenly she was included in things, and had something to do after classes beyond skulking around and trying to turn up any little shred she could use to her advantage

She was also put in contact with Loki, the one she’d originally thought would be her friend, but then he’d rejected her in front of everyone. He was subdued now though. It was a good thing, otherwise Natasha might have shouted at him for how easily he spoke with Pietro. 

Professor Sarkissian was still an anomaly though. Natasha had only learned two things about her, she spoke German, and had meetings with one of the first-years, Zemo. He was likewise an anomaly. Despite them being in the same house, she barely saw him. From his accent though, he sounded German. 

The change in Yelena was also causing her stress. Her fighting style was so different than what Natasha remembered. She was vicious, using her nails, biting, and taking hits that should put her down for the count, but instead hardly gave her pause.

What made it all the more confusing was how Taskmaster wasn’t calling her out on her sloppy form. Instead, he smiled eerily where if it was her he’d twist her sockets out of place. He even had her stay after their sparring, in which Yelena only smiled in return. 

Barney was also being snide, but she had no way of punishing him, not without whining to Ivan, and she’d rather dig her own eye out than let Ivan think she was weak. It would probably be a kinder outcome, anyway. 

Yelena’s twisted smiles when no one else was looking flared the anger that Natasha once thought was perfectly repressed. 

What was worse was Natasha had a tail. Mathew Murdock, the blind boy from Ravenclaw. She had no idea why his lifeless eyes seemed to always find her. He found her when she was hidden behind books in the library, when she tried to lose her worries by getting lost in the abandoned parts of the castle, and even when she snuck off to the Forbidden Forest searching for a moment of peace. 

And because of Yelena being in Slytherin, even her own dorm room wasn’t safe. 

She felt like she was losing her edge. Like the world she had painstakingly carved out was caving in all around her. Sometimes she could barely breathe. It was starting to get to her. She flinched when Ultron screamed at Vision randomly. Whenever someone brushed past her, she had to freeze herself so as not to attack them. And then there was the class where she’d been asked a simple question, one she  _ knew  _ the answer to, but couldn’t pull it from her mind for the life of her. Tears had sprung to her eyes, but she’d refused to shed them.

Natasha tried to focus on what would hopefully be a breather. She was going to be running drills with her Quidditch team today. She had received a new broom from Ivan, more as a way to keep up appearances than as a gift. Likewise, Loki had gotten the same model from his family and so had Pietro despite his other broom only being a year old. The perks of being from rich, pureblooded families. 

She arrived at the pitch early, but only Pietro, Loki, and the fourth-year co-captain, Elektra Natchios, were there. 

Pietro ran up to meet her with a Quaffle under his arm. “You ready to work, Tasha? Being a Chaser isn’t easy!” 

Natasha was taken aback by the new nickname. She quickly schooled her face into a smile. “I’m a Romanoff. We’re always ready.” It never hurt to remind a pureblood extremist like him that she was a pureblood (even though that probably wasn’t the case considering her unknown origins). “Any advice?”

“Yeah, keep Elektra happy. You do _not_ want to face the captain.” He looked giddy. Natasha glanced at Elektra. She was looking at them with sharp, analytical eyes. There was no venom in them though, not that Natasha would ever put her guard down around her. 

When they got closer Natasha offered her a greeting and it was returned in kind. Even more surprisingly, when Natasha smiled at Loki he smiled back. She was still odd-footed around him, even though she did her best to mask it. 

“Quicksilver, go pull out the equipment for the main team,” she ordered. “You’ve already got the basics.”

“But—” She gave him a look. Pietro grabbed his broom and raced off. 

Elektra turned towards them. “How many of the plays have you memorized?” 

They’d each been granted a Slytherin Quidditch playbook. They were more warded than the forbidden section of the library. 

Natasha had memorized them all, but saying so would just make her seem odd. “The first half,” she said. 

“About five. The grasshopper one is confusing me though,” Loki admitted.

Elektra nodded at them. “We’ll go over that one next meeting. For now we’re going to work on your form and see what you can do. Are those the new Cloud Cutters?” she said while looking at their sleek brooms.

“Yes.” Natasha smiled. It felt natural, different than all her other smiles. She pulled out the parchment that came with it from the folds of her informal robes. It had the stats of the broom on it. She handed it to Elektra.

“Good going, Romanoff.” Elektra read it over. “We’re going to test how far you can push these.” It made sense. “Especially you, Borson. Being quick is important for a Seeker, but maneuverability is key.” 

Movement from the corner of her eye caught Natasha’s attention. No other houses were allowed even near the pitch when a different team was training, unless they wanted to lose monumental house points.

“We’ve got a looky loo.” Natasha let disdain sink into her voice, knowing it would be appreciated. 

Elektra spotted Thor and with a scowl whistled loudly, bringing the few other players to a halt. “Borson, what is your brother, a member of the  _ Gryffindor Quidditch team, _ doing here?”

Loki slunk backwards, but for the first time in Natasha’s memory, he was smiling brightly. “I may have pulled a prank on him, but I didn’t think he’d go this far.”

“I’m going to get Fury,” Elektra said. She had a devious look on her face. “He’ll carve out some serious house points from him.” 

She didn’t check to see if Loki would be alright with his bigger and angry brother charging towards them before taking off on her broom. It flared up something close to protectiveness in Natasha. She moved in front of Loki as Thor came face to face with them.

“What the dementor’s kiss do you think you’re doing?” Natasha asked, letting all her built up aggression come out.

Thor bit his tongue while looking at her before spewing out, “I love you, Natasha! Please go out with me!” 

Natasha’s mind went completely blank. In a fit of panic she lashed out, throwing the perfect punch and sending Thor sprawling.

*

Bucky thought that Steve would have been a spitfire and outrage if he was here. Their house had lost 100 points in one day. It put them behind Hufflepuff, who was in the lead, and Slytherin.

As it was, Bucky didn’t give a damn if they went into the negatives. He had bigger fish to fry, namely figuring out who at Hogwarts was a werewolf. If he did, he’d be one step closer to getting Stevie back. 

He and JJ were going to meet up in the library, but Bucky had one thing he needed to do first. He didn’t want to, but he needed to go to The Room of Lost Wands. His resentment for Tony had only grown stronger as the first month of the the school year came to a close. He was the one who told the world Steve was part werewolf. And it was his father that decided not to take Steve back because he was a werewolf, despite there being other werewolves already at Hogwarts. 

Now Tony and Loki were best friends. Bucky hated their Gryffindor/Slytherin/Stark classes. Tony and Loki always sat together. It felt like Bucky lost everything and Tony and Loki benefited from it. 

Bucky dragged his feet. All his ‘friends’ were acting like nothing happened. They’d forgotten Steve. 

It was Friday evening too, so there was no way of avoiding them. It had to be tonight though. The first night of the full moon. Even if there were werewolves at Hogwarts that took wolfsbane, he doubted they’d stay on campus while they were at their most dangerous. 

He didn’t need a password to get into the Room of Lost Wands. He paused as the door opened. He hadn’t realized how much it had changed, having blocked out most of Tony’s annoying bragging on the train. 

There were a few students there that looked younger than him. He ignored them, going up the book of secret passages and the patrol routes of professors and prefects. Janet had tried to lure him here once to read it, but he shrugged her off. 

He could hear Tony and Janet in a different room. He didn’t want to run into any of his ‘friends’, so Bucky wrote down only the relevant information. The routes to safely leave Gryffindor tower, the hidden exits, and the best spots to monitor the coming and goings of students. 

“Bucky!” Jane said, startling Bucky. She was holding hands with Bruce, who was gnawing on his bottom lip. “Uhm…”

He turned away from her, finishing his copying. 

“We’re going to head to Pet Club soon. Do you want to come with us?” Jane asked, finding words. 

“No,” he said softly. He rolled up the scroll. 

“Caelum misses Shield.” It took him a moment to remember that was the name Jane’s cat. For a moment he thought of taking Steve’s turtle to see the other pets, but he just might scream if he had to be around his false friends again. 

Bucky left before more of them appeared.

*

Bucky had drank coffee despite the bitter taste and looks from the other Gryffs at dinner. JJ was the same. A prefect gave them a warning look. Gryffindor had already lost a substantial amount of points. They had to be perfect if they wanted to catch back up. 

JJ was talking with Thor and his entourage. Bucky didn’t care. He only needed JJ to get Steve back. And after that… Maybe Bucky and Steve could run away from his lying parents and fake friends. 

They didn’t head back to Gryffindor Tower after dinner. It would be too much of a risk of getting trapped by other students. The full moon only lasted three nights a month. Even missing one night could put their plans months’ back. 

JJ prepared some spells that Bucky thought were dubious at best. They would keep count of the number of people that left the castle, but with there being over 400 exits, not including windows, there was no way they could cover each one of them. And if it was a good spell, why weren’t the professors using it? 

It also didn’t cover if the werewolves had already left Hogwarts. They were banking on catching them coming into Hogwarts in the morning. 

It felt like a one in a million chance, but Bucky was desperate. He’d clutch at any little thread that gave him the chance to get Steve back. 

They were only able to set up fifteen of the monitoring spells after curfew. Otherwise they’d risk running into professors or the spells being noticed. 

Bucky took up position at a side door that looked promising while JJ was in the main entrance hall that also had a view of another side door. 

As the hours whittled away, Bucky flagged. He drank an insomnia potion, but it was weak compared to what he knew Tony could whip up in no time. No one came or went until he heard noise just before sunrise, a slight shuffling barely discernible. 

Bucky’s heart thundered. He couldn’t believe his luck. 

It was Natasha Romanoff and another Slytherin girl. The first thing he noticed was that Natasha’s hair was out of sorts. The other girl had a slight limp.

He clutched onto his wand, wanting to jump out and cast  _ Incarcerous  _ to capture them. He wanted to dangle them from the feasting hall ceiling and shout for the whole world to know that there were already werewolves at Hogwarts, that Howard was a hypocrite, and demand his Stevie back. 

He let them pass though. He needed proof first. He’d learned the hard way that truth without evidence meant nothing to those who didn’t want to hear it. 

His heart was still hammering when he caught the smallest of movement a few moments later. His head whipped around, eyes frantically searching. Nothing. It might have been a side effect of his racing heart and too many potions, but he couldn’t be certain. 

A half-an-hour after students were allowed out of their dorms, JJ and Bucky met up in an abandoned room. JJ had a couple bread rolls he’d filched last night at dinner. Bucky didn’t realize how hungry and nauseous he was until he bit into them. Thank Morgana that it was Saturday. He’d hopefully get enough sleep to be prepared for tomorrow night. 

“Natasha Romanoff and another Slytherin girl went by early this morning.” Bucky closed his eyes, fighting down his quesiness. He’d had time to think about what he saw. “The Romanoffs are blood purists though. If she was a werewolf, she'd have been killed or abandoned.” 

JJ was slathering jam on his roll. “I saw 23 people,” JJ said, startling Bucky. “Most were professors though and only a few students.”

“Fuck,” Bucky whispered. 

“I didn’t know most of the students, so I drew their faces and if they were wearing house colors.” JJ pulled a scroll from his standard billowing robe sleeves. 

Bucky unrolled it, surprised by how good of an artist JJ was. He recognized a few as prefects, others he’d have to search for, and some a round faced Slytherin boy that Bucky thought might be a first-year. 

Another wave of nausea and exhaustion hit him, but he couldn’t stop yet. They had to check the monitoring spells before they faded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything's moving so fast! Idk how I'll make the plot last the school year--Though to be fair the first part of the series only made it to January/February XD


	10. Chapter 10

Sitting still was not one of Thor’s strong suits. It made going to detention all the more worse. Not to mention one of his least favorite professors, Martinelli, was holding it. She taught Divinations, which Thor thought was a stupid and made up class. She was close to his head of house, Professor Carter, so he had to be respectful. 

Thor sighed. He’d always heard that second year was the easiest at Hogwarts, he was starting to see that now. Second-year had no flying class and no extra-curricular classes, and they already knew how Hogwarts worked. Now during his third year everything was so hectic—and Loki wasn’t making it easy on him. 

Oh, Loki loved pranks, but couldn’t take one. Thor didn’t know how he’d figured out their plan, but knew Tony must have played a part. That brat always had his nose where it didn’t belong. 

Thor shouldn’t be in detention. He was only on the pitch to get Loki to fix the ‘confession curse’ on him. Giving his undying devotion to every girl he ran into was torture, and he even ran into  _ Jane, _ not that he liked her or anything, she was just one of Loki’s friends and they were probably laughing it up. His face turned Gryffindor red at the thought of it. 

The only plus about detention was Hogun was heading there too. His Hufflepuff friend, who he rarely ever saw now-a-days, had a bad habit of ignoring professors. 

As they entered he saw a few students he did recognize, that Stark girl and, of course, Natasha was there. He scrunched his nose. He hadn’t even seen the punch coming and was still embarrassed that she’d knocked him out. 

He glared at her, but she ignored him, just making him angrier. 

Thor tried to sit next to Hogun, but Professor Martinelli gestured towards an empty table. “There will be no talking during detention. You each will scour tea cups and pots for the next hour.”

Thor pulled out his wand. He’d had worse tasks before. “Without magic,” she clarified. Thor bristled. That was house elf work. But, the other students were already gathering up dishes and scrubbers. He took in a deep breath, not wanting to lengthen his already week long detention. 

Thor rolled up his sleeves, glad he wasn’t wearing his uniform. As his hands became sudsy, he scowled. Everyone was either angry at him or making fun of him. 

He’d lost 100 house points for being on the pitch when Slytherin was scheduled to practice. He’d tried explaining himself, but Loki must have removed the curse when he’d been unconscious. 

The loss had knocked them out of second place to third. All his house-mates were scowling at him,  _ shunning _ him. Somehow they’d forgotten how he helped Gryffindor win the last two house cups! The other houses were laughing at him too, making fun of him like he was some nobody! 

The captain of the Ravenclaw team went out of their way to talk to his captain, leading to another scolding for Thor. He got it! He messed up! 

He shouldn’t even be in detention. Fury had only taken away house points, but Carter gave him detention, citing all the little unimportant scuffles he’d gotten into this semester. Some kids just needed straightening out. Thor would be a prefect like his father had been and then they’d listen.

If only Loki would _listen_ to him! Back home before Hogwarts he’d tried over and over again to get him to play Quidditch with him and his friends, but he fell off his broom one time when Thor was being a little rough and refused to play again! He would have known he liked Quidditch if he hadn’t ran away like a baby! 

Then there was Loki’s dramatic disappearing act last semester! It would have never happened if Loki had listened to him and not befriended Tony. Loki’s friends had nagged at him for answers which Thor hadn’t had. He’d figured Loki had pulled another prank and gotten caught. Father had warned him more than once that his mischief would get him hurt.

When he’d learned Loki was part-dementor, he didn’t care. He ignored it because it didn’t take away from them being brothers. Though it certainly answered a few of Thor’s questions—Like why mother always coddled him. 

His fingers were pruney from the soap and water. Behind him he heard some Slytherin boy murmuring in German. It was so annoying. And Natasha looked like she was putting in more elbow grease than was necessary. The Stark girl wasn’t even cleaning anymore. She was piling up all the used tea leaves into her (sodden) bag. Martinelli didn’t seem to care. 

Thor nearly gagged. The professor was reading one of those torrid forbidden love novels between a centaur and a witch, or vampire and a witch, or whatever. All Thor knew was that it was trash and he was embarrassed just being in the same room as one. 

It was only Monday and Thor was ready for the week to be done. 

*

Matt’s nose burned with the sharp scent of werewolves. It permeated the castle despite the full moon being over. He wasn’t interested in werewolves though. He was after Taskmaster. 

Matt had been so stressed since Taskmaster took children from the orphanage he lived in. When he was at Hogwarts he’d tried not to think about how many of the other kids would be missing when he went back for summer break. He’d been doing a pretty good job of it. 

There were a plethora of things to keep him busy at Hogwarts. But all of it was uniquely painful. He didn’t see the way he used to. He didn’t even know how to describe his vision now. He saw so much more, but the details of what was on a simple scroll eluded him. He had to use special spells that read the scrolls and books. It came out in a monotone that was worse than Professor Strange’s. 

Matt couldn’t even use the spell around other students because it was distracting. Writing an essay was its own hurdle. He couldn’t do so in the library or around other first-years because he had to dictate it, and others hearing it could be considered cheating. It was the same with test taking, but worse. 

Often times he had to take a test in detention, not because he was in trouble, but so a professor could watch him do so. He also had to wait till everyone, including the students that missed the test, to take their test first in case one of them tried to listen in on him taking it. That meant sometimes they’d be a week into the next chapter while he was still trying to keep everything else in mind. 

Matt wasn’t allowed to fly either. He’d played it off like it didn’t bother him, but it did. He’d been trapped nearly his whole life. He didn’t even remember his parents. The same mishap that had blinded him had killed them too. He was sent to a muggle orphanage and warned not to do any magic, even though he didn’t even know what magic was, or that some people didn’t have any. 

Flying had sounded amazing when he first heard about it on the train to Hogwarts. But then Professor Strange had carefully explained to him why he couldn’t fly. Matt tried to explain that he could see with echoes, but Strange hadn’t believed him. 

And there were always the bullies. No matter where he went, he was different. That was cause enough for them to treat him poorly. Some claimed he was contagious since he had to go to the Hospital Wing everyday so that his scars wouldn’t burn from all the ambient magic in Hogwarts. 

The prefects that were supposed to help him find his way between classes had become annoyed when he could somewhat navigate. They didn’t care that he couldn’t find his way when he had to go to someplace new. He hated asking them for help. 

He only had one real friend, Foggy. They weren’t in the same house though, and Foggy had other friends. 

It all seemed to culminate and became too much when he smelled Taskmaster on Romanoff. 

He had a plan though. Matt had followed Natasha and Yelena’s scent trail more than once to the Whomping Willow. On his own he’d practiced the spell to freeze the tree that the older girl did. The Monday before last he’d tried going into it, but was stopped by wards. After multiple attempts he knew he needed to do something else. 

He’d contacted the one person who he felt like would help him without asking too many questions, Tony Stark. It was easy to find him since Foggy had shown him to the Room of Lost Wands before. (And because Tony’s scent was entertaining to follow since it often led Matt to secret passages.)

Now that the risk of werewolves was over for the time being and the castle was sleeping, he went to meet up with him in the Room of Lost Wands. 

In the near silence of the deserted halls, he picked up the sound of footsteps. They were too short in duration to be a professor’s, and he could tell whoever it was was sneaking. Matt rolled his eyes. 

Everyone was following someone else. He followed Natasha. Her minion sometimes followed others. Two boys, one of which he noticed watching Natasha and Yelena enter the castle, seemed to target people to watch for a few days without any clear reason.

There were other suspicious activities too. Yelena liked to purch out of sight and watch people. Helmut Zemo was always sneaking around. An upper-year student snuck into the owlery to place to converse with the owls.

Even the staff acted secretively. Professor Amora had a small potion in her robes that she slipped into Headmaster Stark’s coffee sometimes in the feasting hall. No one else saw that though. He figured she had some ‘look-away’ charm on it that didn’t affect him. Professor Carter snuck kisses with a professor he didn’t know. Professor Fury was making nearly industrial amounts of potions.

It was all a bit ridiculous. 

The heart rate of the student that was following him quickened as they got closer. They were light on their feet. Matt reached for his wand, knowing he was seen as an easy target. He twisted around and sent the only offensive spell he knew, a tripping jinx. Matt didn’t wait to see if it landed. He sprinted, trying to focus on the sound of his own steps to keep a view of the area around him. It gave him just a glimpse of the person behind him. Whoever it was, they had something thinner and sharper than a wand in their hand…

*

Magic thrummed in the air of the Room of Lost Wands. It was quieter than usual, which made sense considering it was in the middle of the week. That manic girl Riri had a cauldron out though, doing who knows what with it. 

Tony was beside her, downright cackling as he cut some sort of herb that was overwhelmingly fragrant. 

There were a few sleeping students too. 

“Tony?” he called out. 

“Mathew!” Tony threw his hands up, the knife slipping free. It sliced through the air with a whistle before hitting the ground and rolling under a chair. Neither Tony or Riri seemed to notice. “Let me get Loki and then we’ll go!”

“Loki?” Matt had thought it would be just the two of them. He didn’t want even more people to be in danger. 

Tony slipped out of the room instead of answering. He focused on where Tony went, but there must have been sound-dampening spells on the wall. Instead, he felt like pins were going through his brain, the sound of fire, bubbling, and snoring blaring in his ears. He had to take a deep breath to dampen the noise. 

“This is Loki!” Tony said while dragging a taller boy out. “He’s coming with us!” 

Matt wanted to protest, but Tony was the one doing him a favor. 

Loki waved, then tripped over his words realizing or remembering that Matt was blind. “I—I’m Loki. Like Tony said. Uhm, to the Whomping Willow?” 

The trip through the secret passages was quicker than if they’d taken the normal way. Loki had awkwardly given him directions as they went, while Tony forged ahead without a thought about Matt’s disability. 

In the stale-air of some of the passages, Matt was able to better smell them. Tony had the scent of embers, which wasn’t surprising considering he was apparently a phoenix shapeshifter. Loki, though, his smell was unique: crisp but almost dusty. He couldn’t put his finger on it. 

Another thing he noticed in their close proximity was how cold Loki was. 

Matt wanted to say something, but they had no reason to answer him. 

When the Whomping Willow was paralyzed they went through the hole. 

“I haven’t been here in ages,” Tony said while scuffing at the dirt passage with his shoe. They were only a few feet in and had already met a ward. “I used to run around without my shoes and the Shrieking Shack has way too many splinters.”

“Shrieking Shack?” Matt asked.

“Mm-hmm. It’s where this tunnel leads. It’s a house in Hogsmeade, but the doors and windows are warded close. I could probably open them now that I have a wand though…”

“Let’s stay on task,” Loki said, pulling Tony out of his musings. 

“It’s your show, Lokes.” The smile was clear in Tony’s voice. 

“What? But I thought—” This wasn’t the plan.

Tony made a tsk-ing noise. “I’m just going to make sure nothing bad happens. Loki needs, uhh, practice.” 

Loki elbowed Tony, but didn’t say anything. Matt wasn’t sure, but he thought they exchanged a look. 

Matt couldn’t protest. “Fine.”

He heard Loki flick out his wand, but he didn’t say any spells. As the minutes went on, Matt became more restless. He wanted to say something, but didn’t want to risk interrupting Loki. Then, after the first ward was taken down, the second and third followed at the same painful pace. 

After nearly two hours, they made it to the shack. 

“Not how I remember it,” Tony muttered. 

“What is it?” Matt could only see so much with his echos. 

“It’s clean and doesn’t look like a harpy made a nest in here.” Tony peeked into another room.

“I smell sweat.” And Taskmaster. It was thick here. “Dried blood.” 

“If you’re looking for something specific, you’ll need to clue us in.” Tony’s voice was sing-song, making Matt feel like he was even more on edge.

“Is that dirt passage the only way to get in and out?” Matt was balling his fists at his side. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to find, Taskmaster conducting experiments on children?

“Loki?” Tony asked. 

“Give me a second.” Loki started roaming around the small shack.

Matt’s nose led him to the widest room. The scents were the strongest there.

“There’s old bloodstains on the ground,” Tony said while crouching. He picked up something that sounded hollow. Matt’s echoes couldn’t define it. Tony brought it to his nose. “Skelegro, but mixed with something else.” Tony pocketed it. “There’s knife gouges on the wall too, but no spell marks.” 

Tony hummed and Matt only felt more frustrated. 

“Everything is warded up tight, but I think they can be taken down,” Loki reported while joining them. “They feel old though, not like the other ones.”

Matt chewed on his chapped lip. He’d watched the Whomping Willow hours at a time before and after Natasha, Yelena, and the older girl went there. Taskmaster never went in or out of it. 

It wasn’t making any sense. 

“Is there a way to get around the wards without going past the tree?” He wished he knew more, that he hadn’t had a muggle upbringing, but that was a useless thought.

“Probs not through apparition.” Tony hooked his arm with Loki’s. “But a portkey would work.”

He asked Tony a few more questions about portkeys, trying to find any strand of information that could be a clue. 

Matt had already lost so many friends to Taskmaster. This was his chance. He wouldn’t give up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My uni is closed till the end of the month :p


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like this chapter~ I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Carol was tired. She felt like she was going a hundred miles an hour. All she ever did was study. Maria was the only one who could pull her away from books though. And she was quick to defend Carol against their fellow Gryffindors who made fun of her constantly reading—Not that Carol needed her help. It was just… nice. 

Carol had always been a loner, too prone to fights and embarrassingly obsessed with showing her older brother up. Even now, on the other side of the world, she couldn’t help thinking about him, or more specifically how their father always put him first. 

A part of her was starting to think that she should let them go. She loved her father and brother, but… this competition she had going in her head wasn’t healthy. It’s just that, since she was little, since her mother passed away and his hypocrisy showed through… What else was there to Carol?

Maria was her saving grace. She was encouraging Carol to explore Hogwarts life—To go to more than just the Dueling Club, which she’d wanted to do to, as usual, prove her father wrong. Maria had picked out a handful of clubs they would attend. 

It made Carol immensely uncomfortable. It was funny. Carol could throw down without a moment of hesitation, but when it came to people she was tongue tied. The only reason she was friends with Maria was because the other girl was insistent and didn’t mind too much when she got lost in books. Or maybe because they were the only Americans in a school of Brits. Who knew?

Carol sighed and put down her book. It was Saturday morning and they were in their dorm room. After breakfast, Maria had promptly fallen back asleep. Carol didn’t understand how she could sleep face down on her pillow. That was asking to die in her sleep. She nudged her friend awake. 

Dueling Club was going to start soon. It was the only club Carol was interested in, so of course it held no interest for Maria; but if Maria insisted Carol go to her clubs, Carol would insist on the reverse. 

Maria rolled onto her side, yawning loud enough to annoy their other roommates. After a bit more cajoling, they were off.

As they walked down towards the dungeons Maria munched on a cookie, a  _ biscuit _ . Carol was trying to get down the lingo. She liked the term ‘bloody hell’, but hadn’t had an opportunity to use it yet. 

There was a fair amount of students in the open room (that had rusty shackles lining the walls). Professor Carter was there, which made sense considering she taught DADA. Carol liked her Head of House, but couldn’t put her finger on why. 

A weight settled in her stomach when she saw Tony. He was flanked by Janet and Jim. She thumbed her wand in her pocket. 

An older Gryffindor student came over to them. She was smiling brightly. “Hey, you two! I’m Melina, the vice-captain of the Dueling Club.”

“Hi, I’m Carol.” She didn’t trust anyone who smiled that widely. Or maybe Carol was just feeling uncharitable. She was in a bit of a bad mood.

“I’m Maria.” Her usual enthusiasm was dulled to an almost normal level. Maybe Carol shouldn’t have brought her here.

“It’s nice to meet you two. You both missed the speech. It boiled down to helping each other train and get better, so you didn’t miss much. Today we’re going to self-assign levels from one to 13, 13 being the highest. This is just for us to get a general idea where everyone stands. If you’re not sure, talk to Professor Carter. But if I had to guess, you’re both ones.”

Carol started to puff up indignantly. 

“We’ve only been here like a month and a half,” Maria reminded her. 

Melina nodded. “We all start at one. You have a chance to move up and get ahead of the other first-years who don’t attend.” Melina patted Carol on the shoulder. “After self-assignments, people can submit their names to duel today. Hopefully we’ll get some interesting matches.” She glanced around the room. “We’ll also have spell tutoring for anyone who is interested.” 

“Sounds great! Do you think Professor Carter will be giving out points for winners?” Maria asked. 

“Hopefully. We do have a few Slytherins that I’ve had DADA with. They’re not afraid to use a dark spell or two.” 

The way Melina said it caught Carol’s attention. It must be another Brit thing. The UWSA only considered a few spells ‘dark’. Mostly just the ones that caused permanent damage or were excruciatingly painful. There were a few others that didn’t fit into those categories and were forbidden. She did remember one of her elementary school teachers mentioning how Britain had a long history of Dark Wizards and wars. 

Melina was called over to a different group. 

Carol kept thumbing her wand. She wanted to talk to Tony, but she hadn’t a clue what she’d say. The way Carol saw it, he was the boy that had everything. From what she could gather, his family was rich, he had a ton of friends, and could do just about anything he wanted to. 

What did you get for someone like that?

There was also Janet. She’d kitted out Carol with more clothes than Carol ever had before, considering she’d had to travel light to make it to Britain. She’d tried more than once to turn her down, but Janet said it was her pleasure, and that it gave her a chance to show off her designs. 

When most everyone else was done logging their self-assignment, they headed over to the book everyone had written in. Carol skimmed over what people had ranked themself. She didn’t recognize most of their names, but almost no one ranked theirself above an eleven though. Tony, almost unsurprisingly, ranked himself as eleven. 

She skimmed for Janet and Jim. Janet listed herself as a five. Jim as an eight. That seemed to be the usual spread. Her eyes were pulled to some of her fellow first-years. 

That loner, Zemo, put himself as an eight, Yelena a one, and that shifty Ravenclaw, Lester as a three. Now that she thought about it, it was all a bit silly. 

Zemo definitely inflated his level. He was pompous and shifty at the same time. Carol didn’t know what was wrong with him, but was glad Slytherins and Gryffs rarely sat together in class. 

Thor was also listed. He’d put a big, fat 9 by his name. Carol rolled her eyes. 

She listed herself as a one and Maria did the same. 

They watched a few matches. It got Carol’s heart pumping.

*

Darcy had the best Head of House—the best _house_. Although Stark was a close second. 

Professor Green was definitely better than Caretaker Coulson, who had confiscated her book of singing portraits. He had yet to return it. Sad times.

Unlike him, Professor Green was encouraging. Darcy had mentioned she was about to go to the Pet Club, and Professor Green insisted they stopped by the green houses to get treats for pets. Darcy’s pigmy puff, Bork, was gnawing on one as she headed to the club. Laura was with her, her arms laden down with greenery, root plants, and, oddly enough, scream-peppers. Professor Green expertly removed the seeds, which were what made the shrill noise. 

Beside her, Laura was nervous. “It will be fun!” Darcy assured her. “If you need a breather, you can always steal Bork and sit with him by the window. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” 

“There’s going to be so many people there,” she said softly.

“14 tops, and most of them are my friends.”

Laura nodded slightly. Darcy liked the younger girl. She was sweet, but had a streak of social anxiety. Darcy couldn’t really relate. She’d always been outgoing, and her best friend Jane was always so in her head she didn’t notice when she was awkward or got strange looks. 

The only person Darcy could think of that Laura might relate to was Loki, and he’d been skittering away from their group every chance he got. Tony often acted as his mouthpiece, as if Loki couldn’t speak for himself. It was annoying. Darcy could feel her frustration compounding on top of itself, and just hoped she didn’t end up snapping at them. 

That wasn’t the only thing stressing her. Darcy knew she should be happy for Jane, happy that she and Bruce were dating. They were adorable together, but Darcy hardly ever got to hang out with her as just the two of them anymore. 

They passed through the entrance hall and points hourglasses. Darcy grinned. Her house was in first place. That being said, Tony’s was in last place. More than once Tony lamented about how he never got the chance to get house points. With the combined craziness of Tony and Riri, she wasn’t surprised that they’d gone into the negatives… three times. 

Darcy perked up. “There’s one thing you’re forgetting,” she teased.

Laura glanced her way, a few leaves of something falling from her hands. Darcy was quick to pick them up. 

Darcy grinned wider. “Pepper runs the Pet Club.” 

Laura’s eyes lit up. If there was one thing all Hufflepuffs could agree on, it was that Pepper was perfection.

“The Proper Prepper Pepper Potts,” Laura recited. All Hufflepuffs knew it by heart, well, except for Pepper. 

She was a fifth-year prefect and probably the sole reason Hufflepuff was in first. She effortlessly wrangled their house into studying. She set goals for everyone on the common room cork board. She helped anyone who showed even the tiniest amount of struggle. 

They all knew Pepper would inevitably be the head girl, then after Hogwarts she’d make her way high up in the Ministry. (There were secret bets going on about at what age she’d become the Minister.) 

When they entered the club room, Pepper spotted them and walked over. “Laura, welcome to Hogwarts’ Pet Aficionado Organization, AKA the Pet Club.” 

“Thank—Thank you, Pepper. We brought treats from Professor Green,” Laura said as her face brightened with a blush. 

Pepper beamed. “Perfect. Just put it on that desk there.” She carefully took Elizabeth, her cream colored ferret, off its place around her neck. “Can you hold Elizabeth while I go through them?” she asked once Laura had set them down. Darcy fell a bit more in love with Pepper then. She always knew how to put people at ease. 

“Yes, thank you.” Laura carefully held the ferret, who was half asleep and could barely keep its eyes open. After a moment of hesitation, Laura nuzzled it. 

Darcy glanced around the room. There were less new members than she expected. It might have been because of the new Dueling Club. It had been the main attraction during the Saturday that clubs were open to everyone to see what they liked. She did recognize a few new members. There was Foggy with his Ravenclaw friend, and Carol and Maria, who were playing with a fluffy bat. Darcy would definitely have to check that out. 

“Darcy!” Jane called out. Her cat, Caelum, had gained weight over the break. It was eyeing Tony, who was in his phoenix form. And, much to Darcy’s disappointment, Bruce was sitting beside Jane. They were inseparable. 

Darcy held Bork a little tighter, but not enough for the puff of orange fur to be uncomfortable. She had to put on a happy face for Laura though. The girl was nervous enough as is. 

As she passed by the enclosure for the smaller pets, she greeted Loki briefly and put Bork down so they could play with Bertie. 

“Janey, please explainy how Caelum got so fat,” Darcy teased and Jane stuck her bottom lip out. 

“She’s doing her best.” Jane gave her cat a scratch under the chin. 

“And it has nothing to do with how many treats your mom loves to give Cal-Cal?” Darcy gave her a wink. Jane stuck her tongue out at her. “You guys remember Laura, right?”

“You mean your cute little Hufflepuff?” Tony teased. Darcy hadn’t noticed him changing back. 

Laura sunk into herself. Darcy gave him the stink eye and looped her arm over Laura’s shoulders. 

“The more the merrier!” Tony said, redirecting. He sagged a bit. “No one wanted to battle me at the Dueling Club. Am I really that intimidating?”

Darcy couldn’t hold back her snort. She ruffled Tony’s fluffy hair. “Everyone knows your Prof Carter’s favorite. No one wants to risk getting her angry.” Darcy had considered going to that club this morning, but it didn’t really interest her. 

Tony pouted then grinned menacingly. (Well, as menacing as a cutie like him could ever be.)

“That just means they won’t know what hits them when we have our first competition next month.” 

Darcy chuckled. “I’d love to see that. You’ll probably win,” she did her own menacing smile, “since you’re such a small target.” 

Tony squawked and tackled her. “Shit!” Darcy shouted while falling to the ground. When he tried to detangle himself, Darcy grabbed him then dug her knuckles on his scalp. 

“Darcy! I give! I give!” he shouted while struggling. After a few more, Darcy let him go. Tony scrambled to his feet then helped her up. 

Darcy mentally patted herself on the back when she saw that Laura was laughing. 

Pepper started handing out the treats for the different pets. 

Their group spread out a bit. Laura went to spend time with Bork and Elizabeth. Jane and Bruce took a seat by the windows. Pepper was flitting around the room. Darcy paired up with Tony. 

Pepper, bless her magical soul, had cut up the screaming-peppers for Tony. As it stood, Darcy was tossing pieces in the air for Tony to catch in his phoenix form. She loved how his gold and orange tail feathers glinted in the light. She’d heard that Rhodey and Pepper were going to try to become Animagi over the winter break. It worried Darcy, but was also sort of exciting. They all planned on doing it someday. Darcy was hoping she’d be some sort of fish—or a frog! A frog would be better. She’d be able to swim around lazily while still being able to chill on solid ground. 

As the club wound down and people started leaving, there was plenty of greenery left. “I’m sure Fury can use these,” Pepper proclaimed. “Tony, do you know where he is at this hour?” 

Tony was picking at his teeth with his fingernail, looking like a typical gross boy. At least he didn’t have BO yet. Some of the boys in her class were starting to stink. 

“Don’t know. I have the key to his supply cabinet though and I know where his herb drying-racks are.” He shrugged slightly, looking lazy with his hooded eyes and pooched out tummy. Darcy perhaps shouldn’t have given him the rest of the treats when he tired out from flying. “I guess I can take them.” 

“I can help,” Darcy offered. Laura had already left. She was hoping Loki would come along too, since he stuck pretty firmly to Tony’s side, but he waved them goodbye. Oh well.

Darcy took less than half of the foliage since she was also holding Bork. Once they were out of ear-shot she decided to make use of their alone time. “How is Loki doing? I hardly get to see him outside of class.” 

Tony shifted his hold slightly. “He’s getting better, but I don’t want to force him out of his shell, you know.” 

Darcy nodded. “Is there anything I can do?” She’d asked before and she received the same answer this time. 

“I think he just needs time. Letting him know you’re there for him is what matters.” 

To continue the trend, she made the same joke as last time. “Did Pepper tell you to say that?”

Tony nudged her with his shoulder, causing her to stumble slightly. She snickered.

Tony came to a standstill, dropping everything he was carrying. Darcy turned to face him, about to make another joke, but then she saw how pale his face was, as if he was seeing a boggart. She followed his line of sight and wasn’t quite sure what she was seeing. 

An off white, like the tiles when she refused to scrub the shower for a month. Large wide eyes, like a doll’s. Tattered brown fabric that was growing darker, growing  _ red. _

Darcy took a step back, then another. “Tony,” she whispered while grabbing the sleeve of his shirt. “Tony, we have to get out of here.” He wouldn’t budge though. “Tony!” she insisted, a whisper that felt too loud despite only barely escaping her lips. 

Tears were starting to fog her eyes. She looked around desperately. Bork pushed against her chest, nearly making her scream. She dropped all the herbs, but held Bork tighter. Darcy looked around. They were close to a secret passage. If they could just get there— 

Tony sucked in a pained breath. Darcy couldn’t stand it anymore, she grabbed his arm and yanked as hard as she could. He nearly fell on top of her, but she used his momentum to start them in a run, fleeing the carnage behind them. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter than usual, but it gets to its (angsty) point, so I'm happy with it.

* * *

Loki clutched at his head. Everyone in the feasting hall was so loud around him, but that wasn’t what made him feel like he was losing his mind. It was the  _ emotions. _

Fear, anger, confusion. It was all mixing together with the flits of disinterest, boredom, and even giddiness. It was like a million voices shouting in his head all at once. He just wanted to run away, but that would only make him a bigger suspect. Most students his grade were still suspicious of him for disappearing. 

He wished Tony was beside him, but he wasn’t even in the feasting hall. 

Tears started streaming down his face. It was too much! Too much!

A hissing noise started then grew louder. The emotions around him started to level out into confusion. After taking a breath he looked up. His fellow Slytherins were hissing. Everyone else fell silent and the Slytherins stopped. 

“Thank you,” Headmaster Stark said. “We’ll be increasing patrols at all hours. This attack was made on _just_ a house elf. There is no need to worry.” Whispers started up, _emotions_ started escalating again. 

“A cold comfort,” he hissed under his breath. He hadn’t meant to sound so bitter. 

“Stark’s never faced adversity in his run as headmaster,” Natasha said under her breath. “How he handles this will define him in history.” Her calm interest was a balm. 

Pietro hummed. “You’re forgetting the rumor that he worked with the Howling Commandos. Ten more years and the Ministry will declassify everything from the Fourth Wizarding War.” He took a sip of tea. “It’s going to be juicy.” 

Loki almost chuckled. Leave it to Slytherins to keep their cool while everyone else was panicking. 

Headmaster Stark continued talking, “Double house points will be deducted for those out after curfew.” 

Loki’s heart stilled. No, if he couldn’t sleep in the Room of Lost Wands, sleep near Tony’s comforting emotions, he might just go mad. 

It didn’t help that Slytherin was ahead of Gryffindor in points. He had no doubt that his house mates would come down on him hard if he risked that by going out at night. He hadn’t been caught yet, but that meant nothing to them. 

“If you have any information, please come forward to your Head of House or one of your professors.” 

Food appeared on the tables as it always did three times a day. Loki glanced at the Stark table. Tony was back and discussing something with Riri.

“If this nonsense disrupts practice, I am not going to be happy,” Natasha stated under her breath.

Pietro mumbled in agreement. 

“Who cares if a lowly house elf dies!” Ultron blustered. His self-importance and confusion was an odd mixture that Loki didn’t like. 

“Don’t say that so loudly.” Natasha glanced around the feasting hall. A few Gryffindors were glaring at them. “Slytherin is already looked down on enough as is. Don’t give them another reason to single us out.” 

Loki pursed his lips. She hadn’t said a word in defense of the poor creature.

Pietro nodded. “They’re a dime a dozen here, but those annoying Gryffindors won’t see it that way.” 

Loki wanted to shrink down, but knew showing weakness would risk making him a target. Somehow, with everything that was going on in his life, he’d forgotten that Natasha and Pietro were from families of pureblood extremists. It made Loki’s throat tighten a bit. Natasha had tried to be friends with him their first year, and Loki had easily fallen into friendship with Pietro. Did they… did they think he shared their views? 

He’d heard that Wanda was forbidden from seeing Vision because he was half-Veela. 

Ultron had his own views on supremacy. He wasn’t afraid to yell at anyone about his belief that half-Veela/half-wizards stood above all else. 

Loki wasn’t sure what to say to them, how to stand up to them.

When it wouldn’t garner any attention, Loki fled to the Room of Lost Wands.

*

Tony had been able to hold it back when he told Aunt Peggy, he didn’t let it stop him when he told the story to Howard, and in the feasting hall he’d held it together. 

But now he was crying. 

He knew every house elf. He’d  _ grown-up _ in their care. When he’d purposefully get lost when he was younger, when he couldn’t stand being around Howard, they were the ones that found him. Not just that, though. They didn’t force him to go back to Howard. They gave him food and told him stories in their odd way of talking. They went into the Forbidden Forest to gather him supplies for wands when Howard wouldn’t let him out of sight. They comforted him when he was the only child in the castle for months on end. 

Tony knew each of their names, and was too scared to go to the kitchens to find out who they’d lost. 

Jazpur, who told the best riddle.

Tinky, who almost made chestnuts edible. 

Lef, knew his mother better than Tony ever would. 

The list was endless. 

Each of them had made his life a little better, a little bit more livable. 

Janet was trying to comfort him. Rhodey had gotten stuck patrolling the Gryffindor common room despite not being a prefect. Pepper was a prefect and beholden to Hogwarts. Bruce was dealing with his own grief in a silent way that Tony couldn’t relate to. Darcy and Jane were snuggling, Jane running her hand through Darcy’s hair. 

Riri had retreated to the real Stark dorm, not that Tony could blame her. She was muggle born. She didn’t understand what house elves were, what they meant to Tony. 

And he really wished Loki was here with him, to hold his hand like Tony so often did for him, but, but he couldn’t handle feeling Tony’s emotions along with his own. He hadn’t made it past the threshold before fleeing. 

Janet held him tightly and whispered hollow comforts. 

It wasn’t fair.

*

Loki had stayed the night in one of the old classrooms that was in an abandoned hallway. He hadn’t slept well, or much at all. On Sunday morning he went to the kitchens where misery was laughable compared with the shame and anger. He pilfer enough food to last, but wasn’t quick enough not to hear what was being spoken. 

“He was seenst,” one house elf had said. “House elfies shou’d never be seenst.”

“Its owns fault,” another agreed.

He’d ran away.

He stayed hidden on Sunday.

There was nothing for him to do but wallow in his own thoughts, practice spells that he couldn’t spur his magic into action, and hate himself a little bit more than usual. 

And it was a bit strange,  _ damning, _ that he felt hungry. Not the normal sort of hunger, but the  _ dementor _ kind. With all the misery going around—Had he been subconsciously feeding on the happiness of other students?

He wasn’t surprised. He was a monster, after all.

Some part of him wanted to disappear into the Forbidden Forest, to stop haunting the halls—He laughed bitterly. Haunt them the way the Hogwarts ghosts were supposed to before he drove them away with his disgusting origins. 

Monday he was planning on skipping all his classes, but he had to tell Professor Fury first. He’d already had a school wide search for him last year. He had no plan of repeating that. 

Before most students were up, he went to a part of the dungeons that was deeper than Slytherin dorms. He only knew it was where Fury’s rooms were because Tony had taken him there more than once to prank Fury (with rarely any good results). 

He knocked firmly on the door, despite dreading being around anyone else. 

A moment later, Fury answered the door. He was in the same ragged trench coat and black robes as usual, despite the early hour.

“Mr. Borson,” Fury said in a monotone. 

Fury’s emotions were surprising, or, more accurately, his lack of them was surprising. Loki had never encountered someone who was completely blank. He knew Fury had emotions. They were usually at a low simmer. 

From beyond Fury’s imposing figure, he could see three teacups on a sitting table. One of them had the bright stain of Professor Carter’s lipstick on the brim. 

“I’m not going to class today.” His voice sounded firm, startling himself. He didn’t let it show. 

Fury’s one eye narrowed. It made Loki want to shrink, reminding him a bit too much of Odin’s one eyed glares. 

“Why?” 

Loki swallowed thickly. He couldn’t tell him the truth. No one beyond Tony knew of Loki’s empathetic abilities. 

His mouth gaped open, lips moving with no sound coming out. 

He ran, and Fury didn’t stop him. 

After slipping through secret passages and down deserted halls, he headed outside to cool down in the October morning air and embracing fog. 

Loki abruptly stopped, nearly running into a group of students, the alert of emotions keeping him far away enough not to be seen in the fog. He was confused why they were up and outside at such an early hour, but then he heard Rhodey and Mister Wilson talking. 

Gryffindor Quidditch practice. 

Loki made to retreat, but Thor’s familiar voice caught his attention. 

He chuckled. It was a deeper sound than it used to be. “For what fool would attack me?” Thor asked. Loki could almost see Volstagg nodding in agreement. “Would that they did I would simply over-power them. None can stand against me.” Thor laughed. “I wish they would try! I would put Gryffindor in the lead in house points!” 

Loki couldn’t stand it. How could Thor be so careless with his life? Be so careless with everyones’ emotions if he died so stupidly?! 

A mix of desperation, anger, and disbelief spurred him on. He emerged from the fog like the specter he was, tackling Thor like they were muggles. Thor didn’t have time to react, grunting in surprise. He hit Thor with all the energy he could muster, fog and tears clouding his vision. 

It was all too much. Thor pushed him off, and Loki curled up in a sobbing mess beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is far from over, but I'm very tempted to start on the next two parts of this series! The first will be about Riri taking Tony to a muggle bookstore (just a oneshot probs), and the second will be Tony's third year and a new mystery, focused on him~ New characters will probably include Stane and Justin Hammer, just to name a couple ;)


	13. Chapter 13

Without even being able to really see expressions, Matt could tell the atmosphere was tense. It didn’t help that he had no one to talk to at the Ravenclaw table. His only real friend was Foggy, who was a Hufflepuff. 

His frustration was compounded with the fact that he hadn’t been getting anywhere with figuring out how Taskmaster kept getting in and out of the Shrieking Shack. He didn’t even understand why Natasha and Yelena smelled like Taskmaster, without feeling a bit ill. He kept the worst of his thoughts buried, not wanting to contemplate what it could mean for all the orphans that went missing. 

Besides, Melina, the older girl, only barely ever had his scent on her. 

Matt had gotten a few scraps of information since going into the Shrieking Shack with Tony and Loki. He overheard Yelena and Natasha whispering threats to each other. They had a connection by the brothers Clint and Barney Barton. He couldn’t quite figure out the brothers’ dynamic though.

Clint seemed subservient to Natasha. Yelena listened to Barney, but ultimately she had the final say in the matter. Matt had yet to see how Clint and Barney interacted. 

Maybe there was something having to do with Yelena and Natasha both being in Slytherin. He’d asked the librarian if there were any records of past students, wanting to see if Taskmaster had also been in Slytherin. After hours of names being read off in a monotone from his spell, he’d finally given up and accepted that Tony Masters probably wasn’t his real name.

Matt was also worried about Foggy since he’s friends with Yelena. The few times he’d asked about her, Foggy only had good things to say. 

He was slipping deeper into isolation, every person around him being possibly connected to Taskmaster. 

And with his lack of progress, Matt was letting down all the orphans that had disappeared. 

*

It was Thursday after the attack and Matt could barely breathe. Tony’s group was trying to corner him. He had no doubt that they wanted to interrogate him on why he knew about the blood stained Shrieking Shack. The only reason he hadn’t been caught yet was because professors and prefects were keeping a close eye on everyone. Jane and Bruce sat with him at the Ravenclaw table, but only demanded that he come with them. At least they weren’t openly asking questions. His bullies didn’t need another excuse to pick on him. 

He was walking softly down one of the lesser used corridors. His senses were perked. Sometimes he could hear noise in the walls. More than once one of Tony’s friends had popped out, trying to get to him.

Matt picked up on voices, tensing. One thing stood out though. They were speaking German. He relaxed his shoulders, hating how on edge he was. He leaned against the wall, letting the unfamiliar language wash over him. There had been a German speaking orphan, but Matt had never picked up on the language from her. 

Matt paled, one word, one  _ name _ knocking the air from his lungs. 

_ Taskmaster _

On instinct, he ran. 

*

After evening out his breath, Matt entered Ravenclaw Tower. At least he knew he wouldn’t run into Yelena or Natasha here. He’d also identified the two voices after he’d calmed down: Professor Sarkissian and Helmut Zemo. 

Matt had a particular dislike for the Transfigurations professor. So many of the assignments and spells in class focused on changing the color of objects. He could barely remember what colors looked like, let alone change one to another. Her accommodations for his lack of sight was to put him by himself in the back of the classroom and have him focus on changing textures. 

He didn’t know much about Zemo. Zemo hadn’t really spoken to the other first-years. He remembered Foggy mentioning how Zemo made him uncomfortable. He’d have to ask him about that, and hopefully get a few more clues. 

The common room was louder than usual. It was normally used for studying. Usually, the Ravenclaw solarium was where students went to be loud, students bouncing ideas off each other and having long tangents that could take others on journeys they might not be prepared for. 

Tonight, though, some of the Quidditch players were hanging out in the common room, and they were  _ not _ being quiet. It pained Matt’s ears a little. He felt so frayed that it was hard to calm his senses. He only recognized one of the students, Lester Poindexter, from his laughter. He was one of Matt’s more persistent bullies—And another one of Foggy’s friends. 

Matt didn’t know much about Quidditch because of his muggle upbringing. 

Lester and another student were hitting a ball back and forth with bats. They were jumping over furniture and sending the ball flying at each other at a violent speed. There were a few other students grumbling in annoyance. None of them were leaving though—None of them were risking traveling the halls at night, the thought of death still in their minds. 

Lester gave the ball a hard hit, the sharp noise making Matt cringe as he headed to his room. But there was a soft hissing, his heartbeat a strobe light on the ball that was coming at him. Matt jumped out of the way before it could slam into his face. 

There was the briefest of silences, before chaos broke out.

*

Foggy’s stomach felt like it was full of frigid water. His face felt clammy. 

He’d heard the rumor Thursday evening before curfew, less than an hour before the incident happened—When Matt was revealed as a liar. 

Now, Friday morning, he and his friends only had a few minutes after breakfast and before classes started. Foggy, Riri, Lester, and Yelena were in a shallow alcove away from foot traffic. 

“It’s my fault,” Lester said. He was tapping his hand on his leg. His eyes were glassy and kept flicking around. He got like that sometimes, too much energy with nothing to do with it. He’d been a bit better since he joined the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. “I should have been watching where I was hitting the training bludger.” 

Yelena was still, leaning against the stone wall. Her blue eyes were focused on Lester, but she didn’t say anything. 

“I’m sure Matt had his reasons to say he was blind,” Riri added, always the most relaxed of the group. “I’ve claimed weirder things to get out of doing something I didn’t want to do.” She chuckled. 

“It… This doesn’t prove anything.” Foggy couldn’t inject an ounce of confidence in his voice. 

Yelena stared at Lester a moment longer before turning back to Foggy. “If you think about it, it’s the perfect alibi. How could he attack a house elf if he’s blind?” 

Foggy hunched his shoulders. Matt was his friend. He didn’t want to believe it. 

“He dodged it,” Lester repeated. Yelena was watching him again, causing Lester to figited even more. Foggy could see the guilt clear on his face. “If I hadn’t been so reckless—”

“Then we would have never known he was a liar,” Yelena cut in while crossing her arms. 

“You guys are taking this way too seriously.” Riri shrugged, but didn’t say anything more. 

“I can’t stand liars.” Yelena moved over to Foggy, putting a hand on his arm. He blushed, never having a girl this close to him before. He berated himself for being so stupid when they were having a serious conversation. “You were the only one he used to talk to. He was targeting you.”

Foggy shook his head, not being able to believe that, not  _ wanting _ to believe it. Matt had stood up for him. 

Foggy stared at the ground. “He’s my friend,” Foggy whispered.

“Friends don’t lie to each other, Foggy.” She paused. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Is being friends with him really worth risking your life?” Yelena moved a bit closer to him, almost touching again. “I trust your judgement, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Foggy’s face heated up. He hated this, but Yelena was making sense. 

“Let’s make a promise,” Yelena said while stepping back, her tight blond curls bouncing. She hooked her arm with Riri’s. “Let’s swear never to lie to each other and always be friends.” 

Lester stopped his fidgeting and smiled. “I promise.”

“I don’t know,” Riri said sarcastically. “You guys are a bit sketchy.” Yelena giggled before bumping her hip against hers. “Fine, yeah, I promise.”

“I promise too. You guys are my best friends—my only friends.”

Foggy nodded shallowly before forcing himself to stand up straighter. “I swear it!”

Yet he felt like he was betraying Matt.

*

It seemed that all Matt’s problems sprung from the one miserable mishap of a spell gone wrong. He still wasn’t sure what had happened, or which of his parents had cast it, but it had taken him away from them. It had made him semi-blinded and his other senses almost unwieldy. Others saw him as without potential, without the ability to wield magic. It made him be sent to a muggle orphanage where he lost all connection with the world he’d been born into. It had given people excuses to bully him. That damn spell that put his path intersecting with Taskmaster’s. 

Now it was taking away what little life he’d built for himself at Hogwarts. 

Throughout the day, whisper that he shouldn’t have been able to hear drowned all else out. Students threw things at him, and he wasn’t sure if he should let them hit or dodge them. Either way it would mark him as a liar. 

And Foggy wasn’t talking to him. He’d gone out of his way not to sit with him in class and to leave fast so that they couldn’t walk together. 

It was dinner time, but he skipped it. He felt like he’d traveled a thousand miles barefooted and without a hope in his heart. 

Professor Fury found him in the library. He wasn’t alone either. Professor Carter was with him. Fury had his wand out.

“Mr. Murdock, Headmaster Stark would like to speak to you.” 

It wasn’t a request. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was definitely fun to write ;)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished writing Natasha going 'home' for the winter holiday, and it is so awesome! I can't wait for us to get there! You all are in for a bloody treat ;)

* * *

Their training had been put on hold. It had been a direct order from Ivan via Melina. Hogwarts was on high alert. There was no need to put themselves in danger of being found out. Ivan’s plans were too big to risk all three of his Red Wand agents that were enrolled in Hogwarts. 

It was the first Saturday Natasha had slept in for as far back as she could remember. Not that she actually slept. Her thoughts made sure of that. 

She wasn’t unfamiliar with violence, far from it. That was just a fact of life. Death was always a fact of life, but that was more relevant to her than the average witch or wizard. She’d ended enough lives as it stood. A twelve-year-old with a body count. Mostly other girls that had been in the program. Sometimes with her wand, sometimes by Muggle means. The majority had been death matches. Her life or theirs. Those were the deaths that were almost easy to accept, that she  _ had _ to accept. It was the others that weren’t. Going out with older Red Wand graduates, some that were even elderly, to kill someone. To torture, blackmail, and twist them to Ivan’s liking. 

That was rare though. Ivan kept her mostly in house. She was the one who carried the Romanoff name. If she was recognized, her actions would be blamed on him. 

Natasha naturally had her suspicions on who had disrupted her training. Everyone was betting on the blind/not-blind Ravenclaw. Yet, the professors and headmaster hadn’t done anything. Matt was still attending classes. 

She hadn’t forgotten that he’d followed her around more than once. If she’d been one of her targets, he was stupider than most. Even though she suspected he had a muggle upbringing, he had to know what kind of family the Romanoffs were. If everyone didn’t already suspect him she’d use the Cruciatus Curse coupled with one of Ivan’s memory spells to cover her tracks. But any mind tampering spells could draw attention to her. If she’d been smarter, she would have done it when he first started following her. 

Past regrets never did her any good, though. 

Then there was Natasha’s own suspect. She knew she was biased, but she couldn’t help but think it was Yelena. She had changed since Natasha came back to the castle at the end of her first-year. Yelena, like any Red Room student that had a chance of survival, was ruthless. But, she used to be cold, cold like Natasha was. 

Now there was a fire in her eyes. She even felt physically warmer, as if the fire was real. Yelena dug her nails into Natasha every chance she got, risking her own body to land even the smallest of hits on her. She also stole Barney away from her, not that he was dedicated to her, not in the way Clint was. 

And for some reason Barney hated her, even before Yelena came to Hogwarts. Natasha had the inkling that they fed off each other. By Morgana, even Barney could be the idiot who took out the house elf. He was unrefined and stupid enough to do so. 

There was also JJ, the second-year transfer. She hadn’t been able to get a real read on him though. Natasha kept a mental log on him though. Ivan didn’t like the Howling Commandos, and if Natasha found a chink in their armor she’d tell him and hopefully gain another mark in her favor to keep alive. 

She did have a suspect that was a bit of a dark horse: Ultron. Natasha had finished her weekly talk with Wanda, her weekly complaints of the same thing repeatedly. She’d mentioned more than once the hypocrisy of Pietro being friends with a half-breed like Ultron. The pair joked about genocide, which even made Natasha blanch. She’d never witnessed it herself though, so it was possibly another one of Wanda’s exaggerations. She could picture Ultron letting loose his anger on a house elf that was physically incapable of fighting back against an occupant of Hogwarts. 

Natasha wanted to dig into the mystery, but refused to put herself at risk. She’d fought too hard for her life with the Red Wand to risk dying at the hands of some student— 

That thought gave her pause. The perpetrator could be Sarkissian. From what Natasha had been able to squeeze from Melina, Sarkissian might be in an organization of her own. Whether it opposed the Red Wand or not, Natasha didn’t know. She hated being in the dark. And Sarkissian had her eye on Natasha. There was no real way Natasha could investigate her.

And Natasha tried to hold everything back, to relish in the bloodshed that wasn’t her own, but everything felt out of her control. Each breath was a bit harder to take in than the last. She would never admit it, but she was clutching onto Clint. She refused to show it though. 

She had to be analytical, cold, and the best. 

Quidditch practice was the slightest of reprieves. The training was both on the ground and in the air. Most wizards, to put it politely, do more by magic than physical activity. That made her one of the fittest right off the bat. She ran with long strides that only Pietro and Elektra could keep up with. It also made her casual friendship with Pietro grounded in more than just blood politics and Slytherin narcissism. 

Loki had shut down again, but that didn’t show in his Quidditch practice so no one said anything, and Natasha wasn’t about to risk the small ground she’d gained with him. She’d leave  _ Tony _ and his annoying group of friends to take care of Loki. 

As it stood, next Wednesday was Halloween. Natasha hoped the festivities would put an end to the tense atmosphere and make everything go back to her version of normal. 

*

The Dueling Club’s attendance was nearly double that of the first meeting. Tony was tapping his wand on his leg. He was usually fine in crowds, even relished in them, but why they were here dampened his spirits. 

Along with Aunt Peggy, Uncle Fury was supervising too. The professors had started pairing up when students gathered in larger groups than class size. It was a stronger response than Tony had anticipated. Howard had no love or even care for the house elves. Was it a play to strengthen his position as headmaster? Tony had an inkling that he’d lost face when it was revealed that he allowed, or worse, didn’t know that a student’s death was faked on his watch. Daddy dearest wouldn’t allow another embarrassment. 

Who knew what the Board of Governors would do if things got worse. Howard did have an ally voice on the board, Chester Phillips, the previous headmaster and Howard’s friend. He was also almost like a second father to Tony, but had mostly disappeared from his life after he left Hogwarts. (Tony definitely didn’t feel abandoned because of it.) 

If, for whatever reason, Howard was dismissed from his position, Tony had no doubt he’d unenroll him and Bruce in an instant. Though his guardianship could be called into question since Bruce had found family in the UWSA, but Tony doubted the Walters would leave Bruce so far away and unattended.

And there was only so much rebellion Tony could do before risking Howard snapping. He didn’t think Howard would kill him, but, well, murder of family members wasn’t all that unheard of in the wizarding world. There was a reason Bruce’s father hadn’t gone to Azkaban after killing his wife. Purebloods always got leeway. It was no surprise that the Aurors didn’t bother keeping track of him when he left Britain. He suspected that the Ministry hadn’t even warned their neighboring governments about him. The bloody bastard had given up his parental rights, and Maria… Tony sucked in a breath, Tony’s mama had used their status as purebloods to adopt Bruce. Tony’s constant pestering probably played a factor too. 

But if Tony was forced to leave Hogwarts—Maybe he could run away and become a traveling scholar, research wand material that he wasn’t able to get his hands on in Britain. 

He shook his head at the thought. It would all be hollow without his friends. 

Either way, his thoughts had meandered. 

In the Dueling Club, the sign-up sheet for mentorship was nearly half-full. He was surprised how many were taking the death of—Tony didn’t let the thought manifest. He just reminded himself that not everyone was as cold as Howard. 

Tony would have usually offered himself up as a tutor, but not today. He didn’t have the patience for other people. Other people that weren’t his friends. 

Janet and Rhodey were with him, one at each shoulder. He was thankful for them and their companionship, but he was restless. Tony felt like he was missing a limb. 

Loki was avoiding everyone, but his Quidditch team. 

He had been sleeping in the secret passages. It was almost cruel considering what happened to him in the passages last year. To Loki, it was somehow better than being around Tony and his emotions. He knew that wasn’t quite the case. He knew it wasn’t personal, but it damn well felt that way. 

Tony scanned the crowd for the students who stood a bit taller, for students who would be proud enough and stupid enough to duel him. 

And then there was Thor, joking with his friends and showing off spells. Tony pursed his lips as younger students and his usual sycophants gathered to watch. 

A fire that was far different than the one the phoenix flame inside him burned brightly. He usually didn’t lose his anger, and he wasn’t losing it now. Now, this was far more concentrated. Far more  _ refined. _

Tony moved forward without saying anything to Rhodey or Janet. 

“Thor,” he called out clearly, not bothering to weave around people as he walked. He may be small, but he was on a mission. He ignored the looks he got. “All your big talk is annoying. I bet you wouldn’t last against me for even a minute.” 

Thor’s chest puffed out and his face took on a red hue. His lips curled into a smile. “Stark, your arrogance is laughable!” He raised his voice further. “Gather, everyone, and see my prowess!” 

Frandral and Volstagg started cheering for him, along with a few other Gryffindors. Sif and Hogun were different though. Hogun stepped forward and tried to whisper something to Thor and grab his arm. Thor lurched his arm out of his grip. Sif looked back and forth at Thor and Tony, her brow furrowed. 

The vice-captain, Melina, stepped between them. “If you two want to duel, put your names on the list.” But her words were nearly drowned out by the rising excitement of the crowd. 

Tony’s annoyance only skyrocketed as Thor’s popularity was shown clearly. Rhodey and Janet joined Tony, but didn’t protest. 

“Mr. Stark,” Aunt Peggy said, using the scolding tone she usually reserved for when she caught someone being a bully. He’d heard worse on nearly a daily basis when he was forced to spend lunch with his father after his mother died. Tony didn’t acknowledge her. “Dueling is to be done with a cool head. Anger while wands are going against each other only leads to unnecessary violence.” 

“No,” Fury cut in, “real life duels are done in the heat of the moment. It’s better to practice here than be lacking when the situation might be deadly. I’ll preside and make sure it doesn’t get out of hand.”

Fury and Peggy exchanged one of those silent conversations that Tony had noticed the only other person they could do that with was Howard. It made Tony grip his wand tighter. 

Thor was whisper-bragging across from him. “They do not wish to see me triumph so easily against their precious Stark.” 

Tony licked his lips, barely holding himself back. 

“Go to the dueling stage,” Fury instructed while pulling out his ebony wand with a sliver of horned serpent horn as its core. 

The crowd parted for him, and Tony was startled to realize that some of the students were rooting for him.

Before Tony could step onto the stage, Peggy stopped him. “Restrain yourself. I will deduct house points and give out detention if you cause undue damage.” 

Tony gave her a saccharine smile, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t give a damn about house points and detention anymore. Even the threat of Howard’s wrath meant nothing at this moment. All he could think about was the possibility that taking down Thor a peg or two would relieve some of his anger… and that it might give Loki a reason to come back. 

Tony stepped on the stage. A moment later Fury was casting a strong shield spell around it. Good. Tony wasn’t looking to hurt anyone else. With this he could really let loose. 

Both gave shallow bows. It made Tony almost snort. Thor really didn’t have any idea what he was getting himself into. The duel was going to be laughably easy. 

On Fury’s word, the duel began.

Tony started out with a simple stunner to see if it would trip Thor up. He dodged it rather than putting up a shield. 

_ “Langlock!” _ Thor shouted, his wand movements were swift, but artless. Tony was almost tempted to let it hit, to let himself show off his wandless magic, but wasn’t about to give Thor the satisfaction of thinking he’d one upped him.

Tony batted it away with his wand, the spell hitting the barrier with a snuffing noise. 

He could end it with one spell, but where was the fun in that? Tony was aiming not just to win, but to  _ destroy. _ He cast a silent  _ Levicorpus, _ throwing Thor into the air and dangling him. Tony took a step forward as he sent out  _ Fuge-Capillum. _ The golden hair that Loki once mentioned hating fell out in tufts. 

_ “Confringo!” _ The bright orange spell rocketed towards Tony, but it wasn’t fast enough

In a flurry of sharp and precise movement, Tony cast,  _ “Minuere.”  _ It met Thor’s spell head on, weakening it. By the time the spell hit Tony, it was a light breeze. 

Tony didn’t stop him as Thor used a release spell on his own feet, foolishly not pairing it with a cushion charm. He fell heavily on the stage. Without getting onto his feet Thor cast  _ Incendio. _

Tony laughed, outright cackled as the flames neared him. He didn’t raise a wand, or try to dodge it. The fire engulfed him. And it felt so. damn. good.

Students were screaming. Peggy’s voice cut through it all. The shield came down and more than one person sent a water spell his way. He didn’t let the flames go out, bolstering them with his natural phoenix power. 

When he reached Thor, the other boy was frozen in place, eyes wide and mouth agape. Tony leaned down so they were eye to eye. 

“Do you yield?” Tony asked, flames falling from his lips and nearly touching Thor. 

Thor nodded his head.

“Say it.” 

“I yield!” Thor shouted, his voice cracking. 

Tony stood, staring down at Thor. 

“Turtle-dove,” a familiar and loving voice called out. He felt Janet enter the encompassing heat around him. Tony snuffed out his flames and let her engulf him in a hug. 

All his energy flitted away. Janet was the only thing holding him up. Rhodey joined in on the hug. Tony squeezed his eyes shut and ignored the world beyond his friends’ arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed Tony being a badass~~


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day late, but not a dollar short :p

* * *

Natasha had felt the intrusion. Had felt Fury trying to dig into her mind. 

Legilimency.

Natasha had yet to master the spell of navigating through someone’s head, but she wasn’t too bad at defence, at Occlumency—If being at the first stage had any merit. As it was, she was only capable of clearing her surface thoughts and, almost as importantly, sense if Fury tried to dig deeper. 

There was no law banning Legilimency, but to use it on someone was seen as uncouth. She doubted anyone would care though if a professor used it to delve into the mind of a student. She did have one thing in her favor, though. The Romanoff name carried weight. Very few were willing to go head on against them. 

Melina and Yelena weren’t so lucky though. To make matters worse, Melina had poor control of her emotions and Natasha had no idea where Yelena stood in Occlumency. 

Natasha was hoping Fury was checking everyone’s minds, but couldn’t gamble on him being ignorant of their Red Wand program. 

She had to report it to Ivan before the other girls had a chance to. From there she might have a chance to lord it over Melina and Yelena—remind them who was the best. 

It would be the second letter she sent in just as many days. 

The first had been directly after the over-dramatic duel between Tony and Thor. It had started out as entertaining, two idiots egging each other on. Also, a nice change of pace to see Tony in more than just his usual annoying state. 

Who would win hadn’t even been a question in her mind.

It went about as well as she expected, until Tony used a spell she’d never heard of or seen before. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. He should have been under her thumb, a nice little asset wrapped up in a bow for Ivan, but she had failed. She had given Ivan a reason to doubt her abilities. Worse yet, Yelena had an in with Riri and by extension Tony. 

Natasha had done her best to memorize Tony’s spell,  _ Minuere, _ but his wand movements had been nearly a blur, especially with the red sparks that tended to fall from it nearly all the time. A waste of magic, but perhaps one he could afford. His well ran deep. 

She’d have to figure out the dampening spell somehow, then serve it up to Ivan. 

That hadn’t been the only thing that caught her off guard, though. It was that Tony had traits of his animagus form even while not transformed. That opened up a branch of questions and possibilities she wanted to tear apart for every modicum of advantage she could get. 

One of the prevailing theories of animagus transformations was that a corporeal  _ Patronus  _ showed what a wizard would be if they became an animagus. It was a route worth pursuing, but there was one problem: Natasha could barely dreg up any happy memories, let alone one that would make her heart soar. Worse, a  _ Patronus  _ was said to reveal what was the true character of the caster. Natasha wasn’t ready to face that.

It was getting harder for her to breathe again. She forced the feeling down and went to the Owelry to send Ivan the message.

*

Steve didn’t have a way to know if it actually was Halloween. He just hoped all the masked figures outside Red Skull’s home was a one night event rather than another addition to his nightmares. 

Last Halloween was blurry in Steve’s mind. He remembered Tony being in chains and chaos breaking out in the feasting hall. So many of Tony’s friends stood up for him against the headmaster and Hogwarts. 

And later on they had all banded together to rescue him, putting their futures at risk. Steve was thankful for that. He had to hold that comfort close to his chest since Red Skull and Sinthea kept reminding him that no one cared about him anymore. Reminding him during his few moments of clarity, the moments where he could actually open his eyes without having to fight against them for what felt like hours. 

He’d taken to bundling himself in furs to stave off the bone-cold. He liked to think the cold was from the days getting shorter, but he knew better. This was something else, something sinister. 

The howls of the half-transformed werewolves were mingled with laughter. Will-o-wisps danced in the air. Jack-o-lanterns had appeared during one of his blackouts.

He’d noticed over the last few months that security along Mond Town had strengthened. He wasn’t certain about the wards around the town since he could barely get out of bed, let alone trek through the forest, but there had definitely been more people patrolling. 

There had been a lot more people in general. Steve wasn’t sure what it meant, but he could sometimes hear Red Skull preaching his hate.

Steve also hadn’t seen Dr. Erskine in over a month. Last time he did, there had been bags under the older man’s eyes and he hadn’t said a word to Steve, only checking him over. It had been cold, unfeeling. 

Without his visits, he only had the deliveries of a blood-red potion that came every three hours to mark the passage of time. He’d tried not drinking them for nearly a day, but without it he became light-headed to the point that he’d thought he’d die. 

He couldn’t rely on meals to keep the time. With the preservation charms on them and blacking out, he couldn’t be certain of how long they’d been on his bedside table. 

Sinthea barged into his room with a mask in hand, a mask of a werewolf—No, the snout was too short. A wolf then. 

He didn’t listen to her even though in his few moments of clarity he would kiss the feet of anyone that distracted him. He didn’t need anymore of her venom dripped into his mind. Steve did notice that she was petting the mask in almost reverence. 

Maybe it wasn’t Halloween then, just some werewolf holiday he wanted nothing to do with. 

He stared out the window and didn’t see her leave. 

They were gathering something in the center of town. It was too far away for Steve’s eyes to focus properly. Something dark and piled up high. Maybe wood?

It grew brighter, a bonfire. 

Silhouette, the bulky frames of the half-transformed werewolves. But others too, smaller,  _ childlike. _

And then there was screaming.

*

Hank Pym didn’t consider himself naive or easily fooled. He knew that Natasha Romanoff was using him, but didn’t care. He was still under the age of majority and had spoken with his family’s solicitor on what could and couldn’t get him in serious trouble. He carefully tailored the information he gave her, nothing too important, but enough to keep her funding his ideas. 

They were using each other. 

Though Hank would never admit how relieving it was to have someone that actually  _ listened _ to him. It wasn’t his fault that all his fellow fifth-years were obsessed with dating. Even his fellow Ravenclaws that let him sit in their circle while they all studied now seemed unable to have a moment of silence before blurting out some fresh dating gossip. With that old routine gone, he didn’t get the little social interaction he needed to thrive. 

Hank understood why they were practically crazed when it came to dating. He saw the appeal of women, of the girls in his grade and above. But they were nothing compared to the joy of his experiments! 

Too bad no one was on his level. All he could do was brag to Natasha and give her scraps of information. 

As it was, everyone was a bit louder than usual for Halloween. He didn’t have a sweet tooth though and was semi-allergic to pumpkin, so he didn’t really celebrate it. He was just happy that everyone was so caught up in the festivities that they would be less likely to go to the Owelry. 

He walked the steep stairs of the tower, a blank letter in hand to use as cover. Inside the gusty room, straw crunched under his feet. He avoided stepping on the pellets as soft hoots greeted him. He scanned the perches. He’d memorized all the birds that were from the families Natasha wanted him to monitor. He ignored the other families’ and Hogwarts owls. 

The way he collected information had been his own suggestion, borne out of idle thoughts during classes he already knew just about everything in. 

It employed Hogwarts’ wards to his advantage since the owls immediately left once given a letter or parcel and sometimes went directly to the feasting hall instead of the Owlery when they had something to give to a student. Hank had painstakingly enchanted the area high above the wards. Whenever an owl passed through the wards, anything written was recorded in the barbs of the feather. He used a muggle technique, morse code, to disguise it further. It had all been a very fun and challenging experiment. 

He just had to check the owls before they molted. 

Hank started with his own owl, Bonvi. It had no secret messages, but gave other owls time to get used to his presence again. He spoke out loud as he handled his pygmy owl, complimenting his feathers and gushing about how everyone loved the quills he made from him. Owls were perceptive so he had to give a good excuse on why he was collecting their feathers. 

At the end, he gave Bonvi a delicious treat. 

Hank repeated the process with the ‘prettiest’ owls, the ones that were from the families he was monitoring. They cooed at him, his light fingers going through their wings and delicately extracting the marked feathers. 

It took him a little over an hour. 

Over the wind and the sound of the owls he sensed someone coming in. Without beckoning, Bonvi flew to him. He landed on a perch and stuck out his leg. Hank started tying on the blank letter. 

Bonvi puffed up to double his size, startling Hank into pausing. 

Something ice-cold touched his back—Then it caught on fire. He tried turning around, but could barely move. The owls were screeching, deafening over the sound of his harsh breathing. Something sliced into his back again. He screamed. The owls took to the air, some fleeing while others dive-bombed at him— _ behind _ him. 

Hank spun around, falling to the floor. All he could see was a flurry of feathers and darkness closing in. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are healthy and holding up well!

* * *

Natasha was frustrated. The Ministry had come back to Hogwarts. It was the same two people as last year, Maria Hill and Heimdall Goldlief. Back then they'd been asking after Steve and Loki—Steve who ended up being a werewolf and Loki who was still a mystery to Natasha. 

Their presence only complicated matters further. It was all very frustrating. 

Someone had either willingly or unknowingly sabotaged her source. It also meant that Hank might reveal something about her to the Ministry. It would land him in more hot water than her, at least. 

Natasha automatically wanted to blame Yelena for attacking Hank, but couldn’t let her bias cloud her vision. In truth, there were too many suspects to have any answers at this point. She had to wait to see Hank after he was interrogated. She had to bide her time, seek answers before Headmaster Stark or the Ministry could find them, and play the part of an innocent child. 

*

Monitoring who was interrogated by the Ministry was not an easy task. Loki was the first one to go, making Natasha want to claw off his face. When everything settled down, she’d get to the bottom of the mystery on why the Ministry focused on him. 

Yelena and Zemo were brought for questioning separately, she heard from one of the other first-year Slytherins. 

Tony wasn’t in class today, so she had no idea if he’d been called upon. 

Bucky and JJ were interrogated back to back. 

She heard that Matt was too. 

She felt like the walls were closing in on her when Clint was pulled from class. They were narrowing down the field to her. 

Natasha was pulled out of her Transfiguration class. From the back of the classroom, Natasha could almost swear she saw Sarkissians eyes light up. 

As she followed Caretaker Coulson out, she carefully tailored her surface thoughts to play the part of a worried student. 

She was brought to the same room as last year. Nothing had changed in it and Goldlief’s pocket watch that had a memory charm on it was set on the table. Natasha bolstered her mental shields. 

She greeted them and it was returned in kind, but with an edge of impatience. She might be able to use that. 

They introduced themselves and Natasha faked meeting them for the first time. 

“Natasha Alianova Romanoff,” Hill began, “how have you been doing in classes this year?” It was a softball question, meant to her complying so that when the more pointed questions came she was already in the habit of answering.

Natasha smiled. “I made it onto the Quidditch team and have been studying hard.” Her smile faded. She shifted in her seat. “I’m scared though. What kind of person would hurt someone else? I thought Hogwarts was supposed to be safe.” 

“That’s why we’re here, to make Hogwarts safe.” It was supposed to be comforting, but Natasha wasn’t fooled by such hollow words. “Do you know the Ravenclaw fifth-year Henry Pym, commonly referred to as Hank?”

“Was that who was attacked? Headmaster Stark hasn’t told us anything other than there was an attack.” She made her eyes wide with concern. 

“Do you know him?” They were rather blunt, artless. It was possibly a byproduct of knowing the target’s memories would be erased by the end of the interrogation.

“The only upper-years I know are on my Quidditch team.” It was a sensible answer. They couldn’t find any fault in that. 

Natasha tried to read their expressions, but they gave nothing away. 

“Are you friends with Loki Borson?” And there it was. Why did everything circle back to Loki? What did she not know?

She weighed the pros and cons of how to answer, but ended up just going with the simpler of the two answers. “Yeah, but he hangs out with Pietro more than me.” 

If she could get to Pietro before they did, she might be able to convince him to let her place a block in his mind that would nullify the memory erasing charm—But that magic was far beyond her skills and would more likely backfire than work. 

“Have you noticed any changes in Loki since the beginning of the year?” Hill asked. Natasha was starting to get irritated, but didn’t let it show. 

“He doesn’t sleep in his dorm room anymore. He skipped classes after the first attack.” It made him even more suspicious. She vowed to herself that she’d train legilimency, and hopefully finally crack open Loki’s head. 

Natasha was actually surprised Hill and Goldlief weren’t using the invasive skill on her right now, or perhaps they were more subtle than she gave them credit for. She stopped her deeper thoughts before giving anything away.

“What about his appetite?” 

Natasha scrunched up her nose. “I don’t know. Why does it matter? Do you think he has something to do with the attacks?” She made her green eyes shine. “Is he a cannibal?” 

Hill seemed to almost grin.

Interesting. Maybe Natasha wasn’t far off. Maybe Loki was a half-breed like Ultron. He looked nothing like his brother. Natasha would have to look up beings that ate wizard flesh. 

“Have you noticed anything strange about Ultron?” The boy didn’t have a last name. Neither did Vision. 

Natasha rolled her eyes. “He’s so annoying. All he does is rant about half-Veelas somehow being superior to wizards.” A practiced response of purebloods being his better was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t let it slip. No need to draw suspicion to herself. 

Hill nodded and gave a look to Goldlief. 

“Have you noticed anyone acting strange?” 

There was a plethora of answers Natasha could go with, each one a delicate thread that she could lay out and hope they tugged on. She decided on one she also found 

“I’ve noticed…” She shifted in her seat, glancing at each of them in turn. “I walked in on Helmut Zemo, a first-year Slytherin, and Professor Sarkissian talking to each other in German. They both stopped talking when they noticed me.” Natasha shrugged. “I don’t know if that means anything, but I thought it was weird.” 

Hmm, maybe Natasha should pick up German while she was at it. 

They asked her about a few other students, including Yelena, and then unleashed the heavy hitters.

“Where do you, Melina, and Yelena go every Saturday morning?” Natasha didn’t let her anger show at the question. Ivan would not be pleased. 

They had been schooled in this contingency though. 

“We duel. Melina is the vice-captain of the Dueling Club. Last year I was being bullied for being a Romanoff and I needed to learn how to protect myself. Melina helped me. When I saw Yelena being bullied too, I had to help her.”

“Hmm,” she hummed out. Natasha knew Hill and Goldlief wouldn’t fall for the lie, but they needed something to put in their reports and any excuse was better than silence. 

“How did you find the passage under the Whomping Willow?” 

Natasha smiled. “Romanoff family spell.” There were laws in place that made it illegal for the Ministry to look into a pureblooded family’s exclusive spells.

“I see.” Hill exchanged a look with Goldlief. 

Hill leaned forward. “And what does Tony Masters, Taskmaster, teach you there?” 

Natasha paled, she couldn’t help it. Ivan was going to kill them. He was going to kill  _ her. _

Her breaths became short and her heart raced. She needed to control herself.

Control.

Control!

Control!

_ Control yourself! _ she screamed in her mind, breaking through the mental block she had in place. It was enough to shock her back into the moment. 

She pulled the shattered pieces back into place. They felt weaker, but when she was by herself she’d be able to fully repair it. 

Now she had to spin her mistake, make it work for her. 

But Ivan had eyes everywhere. By the end of tonight he could know of her failure. There was no way she could spin it and time was running out.

“I don’t know who that is.” It was a pathetic lie, easily seen through. “May I be dismissed?” 

Damn it!

_ Damn it! _

Goldlief and Hill exchanged a look. She gave a slight nod and Natasha left.

*

Loki felt like a dog with its tail between his legs as he dragged his feet towards the Room of Lost Wands.

From all his time spent together with Tony, Loki was keyed into his emotions. Tony had processed his grief to a manageable amount. And… with this new attack everyone was in a frenzy and scared, except for Tony. He had a stalwart determination pumping through his veins.

Once more he was going to selfishly hook onto Tony and his emotions. He was a leech—No, he was a fungus clinging and consuming Tony. 

Either way, Loki needed to talk to him. His only other option was Natasha, and he didn’t trust her, well, at all. 

It had happened again. The Ministry was breathing down his neck. It made sense. He was the biggest suspect, the dark creature that killed whenever it fed. 

Loki wasn’t sure how similar this interrogation was with the one he was put through last year. He did have the feeling that the only reason the memory spell hadn’t worked on him this time was because his dementor side was more prominent than it used to be. In retrospect, the further the interrogation went on, the colder the pair looked. Hill had outright shivered then exchanged a look with Goldlief. It only made Loki more of a suspect. 

“Loki!” a gruff voice shouted, startling him out of his morose thoughts. It was Thor, and he wasn’t happy. 

It took a moment for Loki to remember why Thor would be angry at him. That prank he’d pulled on him, a prank in  _ retaliation, _ it felt like a lifetime ago. 

Loki glanced around him for an escape or secret passage, but there was none. Even though Loki was working out with the other Slytherins on the team, he knew Thor was faster than him. 

He breathed in deeply, trying to steady himself. He was just so worldweary. Loki didn’t have the energy to put up with his bully of an older brother. 

Thor grabbed him by his shirt collar and tie, shoving him against the stone wall. The air was pushed out of Loki’s lungs. It was almost a relief, his too fast thoughts being knocked out of him. 

Loki didn’t say anything. 

“You went too far, little brother,” Thor growled out, his face turning dark. Even with his black and white vision, Loki knew it was Gryffindor red. “Everyone’s laughing at me! Do you feel good about yourself now?! Next time you see father he will—”

Loki turned his head away from Thor, blocking him out. He could feel ice like tears escaping his eyes. He should have never come back to Hogwarts, never been  _ born. _ That startled a dark laugh out of him. He hadn’t been  _ born, _ he’d spawned out of the corpse of his mother. 

Thor shook Loki, making his head knock against the wall again, harder this time. 

Thor’s anger was overwhelming, so similar to Odin’s. 

He could barely breathe. His vision was narrowing. 

Thor’s grip went slack, drawing Loki’s attention back to him. Thor stumbled backwards, his breath visible. His lips took on a blue tinge. 

He was…  _ Loki _ was doing this. He was killing him and didn’t know how to stop it. Loki flailed, wanting to reach out to Thor. Loki’s hands had taken on an ashen color, fingers long and pointed like claws. 

Thor took a staggering step to the left, then bolted away with stiff movements. 

Loki fell back against the stone wall, trying to reel in his disgusting nature. Frost was creeping outwards, his robes stiffening. His senses were snaking outward, looking to ensnare someone and suck out their lifeforce. 

He whispered the lessons Frigga had instilled in him and Tony had practiced with him. Slowly he pulled it back. 

He didn’t know how long it had taken him, but when he was sure of his control he ran to the Hospital Wing. If Thor wasn’t there, Loki would have to tell Madame Cho what happened so that she could treat him. 

He just prayed Thor was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to lose my motivation for this story :(
> 
> I still have a handful of chapters already written, but any support/ideas/theories you'd like to share would really be helpful.


	17. Chapter 17

The only reason Bucky cared about the attacks was because he and JJ were convinced they were done by the werewolves. The attacks hadn’t happened during the full moon, but he just knew... 

It was just damn hard to find any evidence with only the two of them. And now Natasha, Yelana, and Melina weren’t going to the Whomping Willow anymore. Everyone was acting suspicious, making things infinitely harder for Bucky and JJ. The first-year Matt rarely left Ravenclaw Tower. 

Worse, Bucky had picked up that JJ wasn’t telling him something. He’d seen his supposed partner go off with Professor Peggy, then didn’t mention it to him. It made Bucky feel even more alone.

Bucky had no one to talk to. He didn’t trust any of his old friends, the ones who’d forgotten about Steve. His parents sent him letters that he refused to read. They’d known that Steve was different and did nothing to protect him. Now JJ was keeping secrets. 

What was Bucky supposed to do? All he had was his raging anger, and he could only lash out with it. He kept biting his tongue to the point of tasting blood. 

At least the other students weren’t smiling anymore. 

*

There was some friendly trash talk going on between Rhodey and Loki when they ran into each other in the library. Pepper was looking forward to today’s first Quidditch match of the school year, not because she particularly enjoyed the sport, but because she liked how excited everyone got. 

She was also happy to see Loki smiling. It was a rare occasion now. He and Tony still hadn’t really… Pepper didn’t think the term ‘made up’ fit the situation. She wasn’t sure what pushed them apart. She wanted to have an intervention, but Rhodey had advised against it. Tony was no longer the round faced, easy to tears kid that they’d met during their first year at Hogwarts. 

She had to let her little phoenix spread his wings~ Even if it ended up being painful. 

Pepper had her own worries too, worries that she was certain others had. 

Hogwarts used to feel like a safe place, but after last year’s fake death and now this newest violence… It would never be the same. She knew too many students’ childhoods were being stolen. 

In a little over a month, it would be the winter holiday. She was vehemently hoping who ever, or  _ whatever, _ had attacked Hank and the house elf would be detained. 

Pepper would forgo heading home for the holiday. She would be devastated if something happened to her Huffs while she was idling away her time in the alps. 

Her sleep schedule was already running thin with her prefect duties. Even when she wasn’t roaming the halls with her male counterpart, she had to look out for her younger Huffs. Most of the younger students came together every night to sleep in the common room. It warmed Pepper’s heart to see them comfort each other. Hufflepuff was without a doubt the best Hogwarts house. 

There was another ray of sunshine; Professor Carter had told her to come to her office next weekend. It was the first time and Pepper could just tell it was going to be good news. Any new information about Steve felt like a success. She hated that she hadn’t been able to help him. All she could do was be persistent and present alternatives to keeping him in Germany. She wanted to put him under her wing, but after what happened at the Ministry, Wizarding Britain wasn’t safe for him. 

*

Tony was decked out in a combination of Slytherin and Gryffindor paraphernalia. Even with the November chill and the breeze that cut through him, he was sweating. It was worth it, though. 

He was usually only dressed in Gryffindor colors, but since he now had a friend on the Slytherin team, it would be rude to only root for Rhodey. 

On the bleachers beside him Janet’s face was painted with a roaring lion, that fit nicely with her own ‘roaring’. If there was one thing Janet was good at, it was being loud. She was leading her house into a chant before the teams even took to the field. 

In response, the Slytherins were hissing in waves. They’d coordinated to move back and forth, looking like a giant serpent encircling the bleachers. 

Jane and Bruce were skipping the match since Bruce didn’t like crowds and noise. Tony didn’t understand why that meant Jane couldn’t be here. He didn’t understand it, and wasn’t interested in putting thought into the mystery. 

Thankfully, that hadn’t taken the wind out of Darcy’s sails. Despite her team not competing, Darcy was sporting her Hufflepuff best. She was also eating licorice wands, and had already eaten so many that her tongue was dyed black. 

Pepper had to patrol outside of the stadium. Tony felt bad for her, but her schedule was coordinated so that she’d be free when her own house played. 

He could see Riri on a lower level. She had tiny flags sticking out of her thick hair, displaying each house color. He’d helped her a while back make a kazoo that spit out sparks and was nearly deafeningly loud. He was looking forward to when she pulled it out. He had fun creating with her, but she was learning leaps and bounds and was becoming independent. He was okay with that. Less responsibility for him. Maybe when he was older like Pepper he’d be more interested in guiding first-years. 

Tony set up a countermeasure to Loki’s dementor-sight. He had remiss to mess with him since things were so rocky between them right now, but he had to even the playing field a bit. Loki could see the traces of magic the snitch made, so Tony had enchanted Rhodey’s broom to put out similar streaks. (And he may have sped up Rhodey’s broom since it was an older model. He wasn’t able to afford a new one because his father’s job as an investigator for muggles didn’t pay well and his mother donated most of her salary to the same orphanage she’d grown up in. To add to that, Rhodey’s sister was a voracious eater. His parents didn’t want him to get a job until between his sixth and seventh year.)

Tony had offered to buy him a new broom, using his income from his wand sales, but Rhodey turned him down. 

Tony grinned slightly. When everything calmed down and he made things right with Loki, maybe they could all fly together. Janet was an absolute menace on the broom. Merlin forbid she became a beater. She was more muscular than she looked and had a killer battle cry. Jane got starry eyed when she flew. Darcy was, well, not the best at flying. He was confident in his other friends’ abilities. 

Rhodey was wearing his Gryffindor red uniform. Tony had always considered Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had a disadvantage since their uniforms made it easier to spot them. 

Tony could also see Thor joking with his teammates. Whatever bitterness in others that Thor had caused by losing 100 house points must have eased. Tony really hoped he’d miss a swing and get hit by the bludger. Of course, Thor being a beater gave him the distinct chance to target Loki. Tony had mentioned that to Rhodey and could only hope he had passed that on to his captain. 

Unlike Gryffindor, the Slytherin team wasn’t talking. They moved in unison.

Natasha had her red hair braided back. She looked even more deadly than usual. Pietro was next to her, chin held high. 

Loki was the last one to enter the arena. If he was nervous, he wasn’t showing it. 

As if sensing his creeping in sadness, Janet leaned against him and bumped their heads together. 

After Mister Wilson said a few words to the captains, the game was on. He opened the chest and the four balls shot up closely followed by the players. The Snitch was quickly lost in the gloomy sky. 

Rhodey took his position as goalkeeper just as Pietro snagged the quaffle. Tony could already tell the Slytherin chasers were more coordinated than their Gryffindor counterparts. Rhodey would have his work cut out for him. 

Gryf chasers were trying to pincer them while also driving them downward, but the bludger kept getting in the way. 

The crowd was loud, but Tony could almost hear Thor’s hearty laughter. This was his element. 

Pietro carried it down the field, only Natasha being able to keep up with him in their new Cloud Cutters. Their third chaser pinned down an opposing chaser. Thor focused on them, but the bludger was intercepted by a different beater. 

High above Loki was doing feints, keeping the Gryffindor seeker on her toes. 

Tony winced as Natasha and Pietro twisted Rhodey around, scoring a goal. 

As the game turned heavily in Slytherin’s favor, Thor became erratic. He was going after Loki. The bludger clipped Loki on the shoulder, but he kept his hold on his broom. Thor was only targeting him. Midway through the other beater gave up the bludger to go talk to Thor. He needed to focus on the chasers. 

Tony couldn’t get over how well Pietro and Natasha worked well together. Their much slower third chaser was doing their part by putting pressure on the Gryffindors. 

Rhodey was keeping his cool, but there was only so much he could do against their chasers. At least Thor had enough control of the bludgers that not even one had been knocked Rhodey’s way. 

It started raining, drenching the field while the stands remained dry from an overhead spell. 

Loki rocketed downwards. Tony thought it was just another feint, but then the Slytherins became deafening. Mister Wilson announced that Loki caught the snitch. 

Riri blew her kazoo, green snakes shooting from it like fireworks. The noise made more than one person cringe. 

The players touched down. Thor swiped his wet hair back while shucking aside his own new Cloud Cutter. His captain put a firm hand on his shoulder. Whatever he said seemed to work. Thor grabbed his broom and went stomping off. 

On the other side of the field, the Slytherin team was celebrating. Loki was at the center of it all, a smile Tony missed clearly on his face. He had to put an end to the distance between them.

*

Tony elbowed his way into the Slytherin dorm. They were a bit more wary of him since he was officially sorted, but none of them went to stop him. Besides, his house points were already in the negative. There was no need to report him to try to get an edge over the competition. 

Morgana, even Riri’s crazy kazoo had lost them a good five points. She didn’t even break an actual rule. His father just had a vendetta against them. 

He glimpsed the other Stark student. Riri was already in the common room. She must have paved the way for him unknowingly. 

Butterbeers in unmarked bottles were being passed around. Fury wouldn’t be coming to check on his Slytherins tonight. It was an unspoken rule. 

No one offered him any refreshments and he didn’t try to procure his own. 

He saw Loki near the middle of the room. He looked shy, but happy. His skin was slightly flushed. He had a butterbeer in hand, but it looked like he’d only taken a few sips (assuming it was his first). 

And Tony was so jealous that someone else was able to bring that smile out of him.

Loki’s eyes widened when he saw him. He hunched slightly and Tony felt a stab of anger at himself for not fixing things sooner. 

When he reached him, he gripped him by his upper arms. Tony didn’t care that they were surrounded by Slytherins that were curious at the best of times and downright paranoid at the worst. 

“Please, Loki! Please be my friend again! I’m sorry about how—and how I acted! I didn’t mean to push you away!” Tony’s throat was starting to tighten and he hated to think that he was somehow influencing,  _ blackmailing, _ Loki’s emotions with his own.

Loki’s mouth gaped open before he flung himself into Tony’s arms.

“I’m sorry too! This is all my fault! If I had better control and stopped being a baby—” Tony squeezed the air of out him, remembering that there were people around them. 

“We can talk about it later.” He rubbed his tears (which he would never admit were there) on Loki’s shoulder before pulling away, plastering a smile on his face. “Let’s give it up for Loki! It was his first game and he already helped smash Gryffindor!”

He was met with cheering. 

Tony kept hyping them all up then redirecting their attention away from him and Loki. 

When Loki tried to pull him away so they could talk in private, Tony shook his head. They’d talk about it tomorrow. Tonight was for celebrating.

Tony was handed a butterbeer. He drank it quickly, then another, just enjoying having Loki by his side. And—he found that he really,  _ really _ liked butterbeer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel absolutely evil with that last line...


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of goodies in this chapter!

* * *

The week had passed in waves of Slytherin gloating and Gryffindor denial. 

It was strange for Natasha, the adoration and comradery. Even Yelena’s usual glares felt laughable compared to the cheer of the other Slytherins. 

Natasha was also feeling an emotion that she’d only grazed upon before. Something warm, an embrace, the feeling of others accepting  _ her. _

And yet, Natasha couldn’t really enjoy it. The hollow adoration paled in comparison with everything going wrong as well as the ever hovering blade at her throat. Hank was in a magic induced coma and had been sent to St. Mungos'. When he woke up, she had no doubt the Ministry would question him. She just had to hope that they focused on who attacked him rather than his other activities, his reading the letters of important families. 

He was no fool, but mind magic was pervasive. 

Barney had tried to corner her twice, but she didn’t allow it to happen. It was easier now that she had ‘friends’. Pietro’s unending, semi-smarmy enthusiasm, Loki’s tentative smiles, and her other teammates that stuck up for her in a way that had never happened before. 

But, she really hadn’t had a good chance to talk to Clint since they were on opposing teams. Something about that set her off kilter, but she wasn’t sure why. 

Everything felt so new and novel, but there was always the familiar undercurrent of fear; the feeling that gave her nightmares, reminding her of all the other girls she’d killed. She had to remind herself that each death was necessary. 

And even though Ivan hadn’t contacted her, she knew that he was expecting her to figure out who was behind the attack and if they could use that to their advantage. 

There was always a knife at her throat and she knew she’d never be able to escape it. 

*

Natasha was sitting with her team on the bleachers. The Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff Quidditch match had just begun. Her eyes were sharp, and she couldn’t help but follow Clint’s every move. In the short period he’d been on the Hufflepuff team, just under two months, he’d acquired the nickname Hawkeye. 

An idle thought drifted through her mind. It felt like a lifetime ago that she considered becoming an animagus. It would be… not necessarily funny, but amusing if he did so too and became a hawk. It would also be useful for reconnaissance. That brought a bitter taste to her mouth. Clint was not trained like she was. Merlin knew that last year Loki would have never spotted her tailing him if she’d left Clint behind. But she’d been  _ sentimental. _ A dirty word. She was in a new place without constantly being under supervision and scrutiny. She hadn’t known how to handle her new, provisional freedom. 

She pulled herself back to the present. 

Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw seemed evenly matched. Clint played well despite being on an old school issued broom. His aim was sharp as he handled the quaffle. He’d even scored once in the first five minutes. 

He wasn’t the only one with good aim though. 

One of the nobodies, a first-year that had barely been on her radar. He was one of Yelena’s ‘friends’, Dex. Natasha knew about her little group: Foggy, Riri, and Dex. Two of her targets. Natasha had just considered him chaff, but possibly a way to spy on Yelena if need be. 

Like Clint, he’d also acquired a nickname: Bullseye. 

He was a beater, and a good one at that. The only reason Clint hadn’t made more goals was that Bullseye had knocked down two Hufflepuffs with the bludger—One of the hits had been to the head.

And his grin… Natasha knew the look of violent delight; she had seen it more than once on Taskmaster, Ivan, and some of the other girls. He didn’t care about Quidditch beyond the blood he could spill. 

Natasha had a new suspect.

*

As a general rule, Tony avoided Howard as much as he could. It was a good rule and was for the best. Tony didn’t have to risk losing his temper and Howard didn’t have to look unprofessional by filling the halls with his shouts. It also meant Howard was less likely to take his anger out on other students and that Tony wouldn’t lash out at his friend. 

But he couldn’t allow another attack to happen. He couldn’t risk Loki collapsing inwards, not when he’d just gotten him back. His return to the Room of Lost Wands was a relief for all of them. Darcy had even cornered Tony to ask him how he did it so they could prevent Loki distancing himself again. Tony hadn’t really known how to respond. He just guaranteed there wouldn’t be a repeat. Guaranteed it despite not being sure. 

Coulson guided him towards Howard’s office, despite Tony knowing the way well. He was doing this the ‘right’ way, instead of just popping in with his phoenix powers. 

It was easy to ignore Coulson’s stern warnings and questioning on why Tony was going to see Howard. Yet his steps felt heavy. 

There was another reason Tony was stressed. In the antechamber of Howard’s office there was a life size portrait of Maria. He loved his mama, but portraits were a cruel joke. An imitation that could never live up to the real thing. And her voice… it made Tony’s eyes water. 

And if she called out to him, he might just lose it. 

Inside, he kept his eyes downcast. If he didn’t see her she might not say something. 

Coulson scaled the (motionless) stairs, leaving him alone. Tony could feel his heart racing. He felt sweat break out as he stared hard at the swirling pattern of the carpet and how the light of the fireplace danced. He could almost hear the shuffling of her ever sky-blue dress. Could  _ feel _ her phoenix core wand, the feather that was the brother to the one in his own wand. 

But she was fake. She was a  _ lie _ and he wouldn’t be fooled.

Finally, after what felt like far too long, he was able to see his own damn father. Coulson gave him one final warning before leaving. 

In the office the high ceiling only seemed to add to Howard’s pompousness, even though Tony clearly remembered that it hadn’t changed since he took over from Chester Phillips. The past headmasters and headmistresses whispered about him, how he ‘broke tradition’, no doubt fueled by the Sorting Hat that somehow had its nonexistent chin high in the air. 

The orb that controlled the speed of the staircases and routes of the hidden passages was sitting on a silken pillow. It occured to Tony that the Sorting Hat and portraits knew what it was, yet hadn’t told Howard. Tony would have to swipe it before Howard learned what it did. 

A pensive was off to the side, in front of a large shelf of journals. Tony had more than once tried to see what was written, but they were warded up tighter than anything Tony had ever seen before, including the Ministry. 

He stared a moment at the pensive. Wisps of light emitted from it. Tony had to wonder how many memories of his mama were trapped there. It sickened Tony. Any imitation paled in comparison to the star-shine and fire-feathered wonder his mama was. 

He dragged his eyes to Howard. He was sitting behind his desk, his hands steepled and mouth in a firm line. Not a good sign. 

Tony opened his mouth, but realized he didn’t know what to say. He landed on, “I want to help.” 

Howard didn’t respond right away, building up Tony’s irritation since he was already on edge. 

Finally, he tilted his head nearly imperceptible. “Help with what?” 

“With catching the attacker. I can hide in the fire and watch for whoever—”

“Tony, you’re just a student. Your hourglass is empty most of the time, you’ve skipped classes, and I know you are habitually out of your dorm after curfew. You _swore_ you’d behave after I got your little friends out of trouble last year—And now you think you can take part in this _Ministry_ run investigation? Grow up. If you want to help, focus on your studies and stop with your tomfoolery.” 

Tony felt himself puff up. “I got into the Ministry, and you think I can’t help?!” Howard opened his mouth, but Tony wouldn’t let him belittle him anymore. “I can see through fire,  _ hide  _ in fire!” Tears started fogging his vision despite his best efforts. Why was Howard always like this? “ _ Tawns, _ who I know for sure you don’t know the name of because he’s ‘just a house elf’ was murdered! Did you know he was there when mama went into labor early? That he held her hand while heading to your office to use the Floo—while you were nowhere to be found?! Or that he makes— _ made _ the best taffy?!” Tony scoffed. “You couldn’t even keep Steve safe and you think you don’t need my help.” 

Howard shot up, slamming his hand on the table and making Tony flinch backwards. “Do you think I wanted him to be taken away?! That I wanted to fake his death?! There’s more going on behind the scene than you know! You run around and stick your nose in everything! Maybe if you hadn’t kept embarrassing me by refusing to be sorted then the Ministry would have respected me enough to let me handle Rogers’ situation!” 

Tony felt all the blood drain from his face. He stumbled backwards as if physically hit. 

“Tony—” 

He didn’t stick around to hear whatever bullshit apology Howard would make.

*

Bucky’s skin felt too tight. 

JJ was lying to him, or at least not telling him something. He kept checking the clock above the Gryffindor fireplace. Before JJ could make an excuse on why they should separate, Bucky made one himself. He claimed he needed to take a nap. JJ’s brief, poorly hidden look of relief was all the confirmation Bucky needed. 

Bucky made it past the bend of the stairs to the dorm rooms before turning back to peek around. His heart felt heavy as JJ rushed out of the common room. After a couple beats, he followed him out. It was almost funny that all the practice sneaking around he’d done with JJ was now being used against him. 

He didn’t go far, just to Professor Carter’s office. The door was usually open when she was there, but JJ had to knock to be let in. After a minute Bucky went to the door, pressing his ear to it. He couldn’t hear anything. It shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. 

Bucky cursed and hid again. He kept his ears opened since he was hidden from view. After a few minutes, Professor Fury passed by with Pepper. They were chatting about OWLs. Bucky felt acid in his throat. Of course Pepper, one of Tony’s _friends,_ was there. He always had a hand in whatever bullshit was going on in Hogwarts. He didn’t try to see them, having no doubt Fury would somehow spot him. 

Whatever secret meeting was going on behind his back lasted just under a half an hour. 

Pepper was the first one to leave. He only got a glance of her. Pepper’s back was straight, but it always was, so he couldn’t really read her. 

When JJ came out, Bucky followed him a few halls down. He tried to jump him, looking for answers, but JJ must have heard him run up to him. 

They fell to the ground, JJ barely avoiding his head hitting the ground. They tumbled back and forth, each getting more hit in than one. 

“What’s wrong with you!” JJ shouted, blood coloring his teeth. 

“You liar! You’re just like all the rest! You were supposed to be my friend!” His knuckles pulsed with pain. 

“I am your friend!” JJ tried shoving him off, but Bucky held onto his robes, pinning him down. 

“Then why didn’t you tell me about your meeting?!” Bucky hated this. He hated everything. Without his brother, nothing else mattered. 

JJ’s face went blank, and Bucky just knew this wasn’t the only thing he kept from him. 

Defeat weighed heavily on Bucky. He tightened his hold on JJ before letting it go and rolling off him. He sat against the stone wall, forgetting all his physical pain, the emotions overwhelming him. “Just… just tell me the truth. It’s about Steve, isn’t it? Or was I just a joke to you?” 

JJ pushed himself up. He was clearly debating with himself. 

“My dad,” JJ said slowly, as if even he wasn’t sure what he was going to say. “The Howling Commandos are going to try to get Steve.”

Bucky snorted. “Why would they even care?”

JJ shifted slightly and wiped the blood off his face. “They care. What Red Skull is doing… They’re going to stop him.”

Bucky just shook his head in disbelief. JJ sat a bit straighter.

“They’re the Howling Commandos.  _ Howling _ Commandos. It’s the worst kept secret. They’re all werewolves and they stop other werewolves from committing crimes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw, I just started playing the new Animal Crossing game! Let me know if you want to be friends!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm desperately trying not to fall into the Harry Potter fandom.

* * *

Pepper was contemplating on how exactly to tell her friends what had happened during her meeting with Professor Carter, Fury, Headmaster Stark, and JJ. Then how to approach Bucky to tell him.

She had been sworn to secrecy, but she didn’t keep things from her friends… and Bucky needed to hear it. 

His new friend had been there too though, JJ. She couldn’t bank on him telling Bucky though. He was an unknown to Pepper. As far as she was concerned, he’d only widened the rift between Bucky and her friends. 

But maybe Bucky just needed someone to always be at his side. At least he hadn’t latched onto one of Thor’s friends. Loki had it rough enough as is. No need for one of his former friends to turn on him. 

She would talk to Rhodey first. He always had a cool head and the one she went to when she needed help. But it was almost curfew and Pepper knew the Gryffindors were monitoring who left in order to conserve as many house points as they had. With Ravenclaws win in Quidditch (against her dear team), Gryffindor was teetering on being in fourth place when it came to house points. 

Pepper was rather proud of herself for helping her house get into first place. Her Huffs usually didn’t care about house points. That was a game between Slytherin and Gryffindor, one that was rarely amicable. No need to get pulled into their (childish) feud. 

Her Hufflepuffs were doing so well. It really helped that Darcy was always happy to lend a hand. The younger girl kept the first-years in check, as well as prod the second-years into form. 

She entered the Hufflepuff dorm, the scent of honey candles and light chattering embracing her like an old friend. She was greeted with smiles and soft words. She would have liked to sit down with them, help them with homework and comfort her Quidditch team that had lost, but she had her duties to perform. 

In her dorm room Christine went out of her way not to look at her. Her fellow fifth year was an amusement. She had an inkling that Christine was nursing a crush. She handled in like a five-year-old, figuratively pulling on Pepper’s pigtails. At least she had stopped writing rude articles about her in the Huff. The other Hufflepuffs had cracked down on that. 

“Sleep tight, Christine,” she said as sweet as candy floss. 

Pepper changed into her protective robes, the ones Janet and Tony had worked together on. It was a shame that the base ingredients for it were rare and preventatively expensive. Pepper still felt strange that she wore something more expensive than a year of her mother’s salary. 

They had insisted though. She was putting herself on the front line. (Their words, not hers.)

After saying goodnight to her Huffs that were snuggled up in the common room, she met up with her fellow fifth-year prefect, Happy Hogan. He was a soft spoken brunet, but never backed down. Pepper hadn’t been sure when Professor Green had selected him, but after he broke up a fight between two seventh-years she’d reevaluated him. He also had a good disposition that Pepper could appreciate.

They chatted while following their route and stayed on alert. 

Pepper found herself liking him more and more every day. 

*

The following morning after a solid four hours of sleep, Pepper went to meet up with Rhodey. She knew he was coming from Quidditch practice at this hour. She saw him break away from the group of sweaty, tired students to go see her. He was one of the few that looked like they still had energy. 

“Mr. Rhodes,” she greeted.

“Ms. Potts.” They exchanged a private smile. “What newest Tony mayhem are we looking at today?” 

“It is the mayhem that is soon to be afoot that we should worry about.” Pepper and Rhodey’s whole relationship wasn’t based on Tony, but that was definitely how it started. They considered themselves the designated adults of their group, despite only being sixteen and seventeen. 

“Do tell, do tell.” 

Pepper leaned in close, always happy to have a bit of a conspiracy going with Rhodey. “My talks with Professor Carter have finally paid off.”

“The Persistent Pepper Potts Plan, got it.” He nudged her slightly. 

Pepper wrinkled her nose, both at his smell and his (everyone’s) love of alliteration when it came to her. Damn baby Tony for dubbing her Pepper and damn herself for not being able to turn down the round-faced, star bright eyed boy. 

“Yes, that one.” She rolled her eyes then made sure they were far away enough from the other students. “Carter, Fury, and Stark have been in contact with the Howling Commandos. Their team is going to try to get Steve back and they’re,” Pepper checked around a second time, her voice dropping further, “all werewolves.”

“A pack of werewolves?” 

Pepper made a tisk-ing noise. “If you listened more in Professor Strange’s class you’d know that the term ‘pack’ is seen as derogatory and—”

“A  _ brotherhood, _ whatever. Don’t you think that’s not a great term either? There are female werewolves.”

“Gender constructs in their culture are noted to be mostly obsolete in  Werewolf Wonderlust .”

“Which,” Rhodey gave her a look, “can’t be proven was even written by an actual werewolf.”

“It’s the consensus of the wizarding world that—”

“Pep, I gotta get a shower before classes.” 

She blinked herself out of giving a Rhodey a lecture. She took in his appearance again. His sweat had dried, but his shirt was sticking to his chest. And when had he bulked up so much? He was still agile looking enough to play goalkeeper, but she could see him substituting as a beater or trying out for one next year. 

“Pepper?”

“Right. Professor Carter didn’t give me any details on when or how the rescue will take place. I don’t want Tony to get over excited and try to get involved.” Last year’s ‘adventure’ was a disaster. Tony had a way of getting into trouble. She’d been mostly able to curb his status as a near natural disaster, but now that he had more friends, it was much more difficult. 

Rhodey sighed. “Luck isn’t on our side. Tony and his dad had a shouting match yesterday, according to Janet.”

“Fuck,” Pepper whispered. It was rare for her to curse. She liked saving them up to startle Tony. “I’ll wrangle the troops. Meeting at seven.”

Rhodey snapped a salute that gave them both a laugh.

*

Loki could tell that Tony was more despondent than angry. It hadn’t been too bad yesterday when it was just the two of them, when Loki could distract him. But during classes Tony slumped and stared at nothing. 

Loki wanted to give Tony a hug, but he didn’t want to risk anymore bullying. Apparently being on the Quidditch team didn’t save him from ridicule in his own house. 

They parted ways, Loki giving him a smile and Tony returning one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

Natasha and Pietro were walking with him to their next class. He was used to Pietro doing so, but Natasha was a new edition. And… Loki didn’t like how that changed their usual conversations. Loki wasn’t quite sure, but he thought that Pietro had a crush on her. He was boasting about his Quidditch skills and the superiority of purebloods—And Natasha was giggling! He couldn’t get a real read on her though. Almost like Fury, but Loki thought if he really tried to read her then he might be able to tell her emotions. He didn’t want to though, both because it might risk his powers growing and because Natasha was scary enough without him knowing what she felt. 

Natasha put an arm in front of him, startling him into a stop. 

“What—” Loki followed her line of sight. Thor, of course it was Thor. Great. 

“Gryffindor’s biggest loser. Have you come to beg for Quidditch tips?” Pietro asked. Loki understood why he was bitter. He’d gotten hit more than once by Thor’s well aimed bludger. 

Thor’s face darkened. Loki could almost picture the angry flush of his cheeks. 

“This is a family matter.” 

“We’re Slytherins, his  _ new _ family.” Loki was used to Natasha doling out the harsh words, but Pietro was just as good. 

Thor, surprisingly, ignored him. “Mother has written many letters to you, but you have not replied once. Because you’re being  _ childish _ I have to be the one to tell you to come home during the winter holiday.”

There was no way that was happening. Why would he ever want to go back to that house of liars? Yes, he loved his mother, but he couldn’t forgive her just because of that. There was also Odin’s ever present disapproval. And being stuck with Thor, forced to endure even more of his downright cruelty. No, Loki was staying at Hogwarts. 

But saying so now would just lead to arguing to the moment the Hogwarts Express took off, and doubtlessly it would get physical. It wouldn’t be the first time Thor carried him somewhere he didn’t want to go. And Thor’s cronies would doubtlessly be more than happy to help. 

“Fine. Write mother and let her know.” 

Thor opened his mouth, as if he’d been ready for Loki to protest. 

Thor cleared his throat. “Good.” He stomped off. 

Loki gave Natasha and Pietro a look, making it clear he wasn’t telling the truth. 

After all, what was one more Borson liar?

*

If things were calmer this year, if he knew Loki would be fine over the break, then Tony would have gone and stayed at Diagon Alley during the winter holiday. Get out of Hogwarts that felt more like a prison than a home or even school. He felt like Howard was always looking over his shoulder, like no matter what he did it would never be enough. 

Tony had tried to be the smartest, the most innovative, and independent—Howard just wanted him to fall in line, to shut up and be a prop to only be brought out when it was convenient. 

If his mama was still alive… But that was a useless thought. Why torture himself more than usual?

It seemed like only Bruce understood why Tony hated Howard. Bruce’s father had been a thousand times worse, beating him and his wife, before eventually killing her. It gave Bruce a wisened eye that could spot a coming storm of abuse. Howard terrified him. Bruce could see that if Howard let go of his tightly held control, then it could be fatal. 

And after mama died, Bruce had tried to be placed with a different pureblooded family—But no one wanted to risk Howard’s ire. Risk the ire of Hogwarts’ headmaster or how he could use his political clout. 

And… what if Howard not being able to save Steve was Tony’s fault? Tony wasn’t blind to the political jockeying that went on in Britain, how the purebloods held themselves to a ‘higher standard’ and weren’t afraid to lord it over each other. 

If Tony had just been better Steve might still be here….

He tried to banish his thoughts as his friends migrated into the Room of Lost Wands. But when Loki saw him, he retreated to their dorm room. Tony stared down at his lap and tried not to cry. But then Loki was back and he was holding Bertie. He sat snugly next to Tony and passed him his ‘lope. She tickled his palms with her wiggling whiskers. 

“Don’t you love when Pepper calls a meeting?” Darcy said while practically vibrating in spot. Tony didn’t really get her excitement when it came to Pepper. He knew she was a goddess, but that didn’t mean Darcy had to worship at her alter all. the. damn. time. 

Jane and Bruce were, as usual, whispering and giggling to each other. 

“Sure, Darcy,” Janet said sarcastically while embroidering another work of art, of fashion. She gave Darcy a wink to show she was kidding. 

Pepper and Rhodey walked in together. He wished they were in the same year as him, but at the same time was glad they’d been his friends when he only had Bruce. 

Rhodey sat down, but Pepper remained standing. Automatically they all paid attention to her. 

“Thank you for joining me this evening,” she began. Tony almost snickered at how formal she was being. “Please leave your questions till the end,” she gave Tony a look, “and no interruptions.” 

Tony gave her a winning (fake) smile. She wasn’t fooled. 

“As some of you might know I’ve been in contact with Professor Carter to work on how to get Steve back. We’ve had some developments.” Tony felt his heart start to race with hope. “I was informed last night the Howling Commandos are a brotherhood of werewolves whose goal is to keep werewolves in the boundaries of law, and keep them protected. They are currently making a plan to rescue Steve.”

“Where will they take him?” Tony blurted out. He could still see Steve’s flesh and bone laid bare, all with the permission of the Ministry. 

Pepper raised an eyebrow at him and Tony bit his tongue. She could make him be quiet more effectively than any professor. 

“The plan is still in the making, and Professor Carter made it clear I won’t be privy to all the details. I was also informed that Professor Sarkissian and Helmut Zemo are both werewolves and possibly connected with the group in Germany.” Somehow, that didn’t surprise Tony, but he wouldn’t have guessed that himself. “We also need to figure out a way to get Bucky to listen to us. He needs to know.” 

“Too late,” a voice from a secret passage door said. “I already heard.” Bucky paused, gripping his left arm awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blocked you guys out. And it’s selfish, but I need your help.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting a new online class on Monday :/


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grr, I only have 3 pre-written chapters left. I really hope I get some inspiration soon!

* * *

Bucky being back was a relief, but it didn't make things much better. Loki had hoped, but until Steve was with them again, nothing would be right. It had almost been easy to forget about Steve in the face of everything that was happening this year and his own struggles. But now they had something to hold onto. 

Bucky’s emotions were almost in tatters. It was hard to be around him, but Loki feared that if he shied away, Bucky might leave.

For now they could only wait for Professor Carter to give them more information.

They still had to focus on the problem at hand, the attacks.

They worked on it together. Bucky told them all about who’d he and JJ had seen while watching the exits during the full moons. 

Bucky insisted on leaving out JJ though. Loki wasn’t sure why, but no one wanted to risk pushing Bucky away with questions. 

They figured that since the attacks were by muggle means that the assailant was either a first-year or hiding their age by not using advanced magic. 

It could be anyone, but Bucky insisted it was Zemo or Sarkissian. Loki didn't think it was that simple and… he hated the thought that them not being half something not wizard automatically made them killer's. It struck a little too close to home for him.

It was the night before the Hogwarts Express left. They were all gathered in a side area of the Room of Lost Wands. All sitting close. Rhodey, Jane, and Darcy were going home for the holiday due to the insistence of their parents for the latter two. Rhodey had to go home to help his sister study for her first-year since she was strangely unable to ever concentrate. 

“We still need to question Matt,” Bucky said firmly from his seat. He was slightly apart from the rest of them. All the others were smooshed together on couches. 

“He’s hiding something, but I don’t think it’s murder.” Tony was hesitant. Loki nodded in agreement. 

“The professors already questioned him. If they thought he was the attacker they would have done something about it,” Pepper added. 

Bucky scowled before his lips formed a thin line. Everyone else tensed, but only a few showed it, including Loki. 

“We’ll look into it, but we have to consider others too,” Pepper said, a soothing balm on all of them. 

Bucky snorted then looked at Loki. “Let’s not forget your little Romanoff friend. She snuck around like a thief in the night.” 

Loki forced himself not to shrink in his seat. Tony’s warmth beside him helped. “She is… She and Pietro are pureblood extremists. They’re,” Loki searched for the right word, “snotty. They wouldn’t,” once again he was at a loss for word. He shrunk slightly. “They’d see a house elf as beneath them.” Tony’s emotions took on a mixture of anger and despair. “Attacking one would just… not worth their time.”

“Unless it got in their way,” Bucky cut in. 

“I can keep a closer watch on them.” But Loki couldn’t picture Natasha being so sloppy as to leave Pym alive—Or leave a body behind. 

They discussed a few more people before retiring for the night with heavy hearts. 

*

Loki basked in Darcy’s hyper emotions. 

They were all in on Loki’s plan. Rhodey was pinching the bridge of his nose, but was smiling. Jane was fighting down a grin, trying to play it cool. 

Loki had to school his expression if he was to trick Thor, not that that was particularly hard. 

Surrounded by the excitement of students heading home, Loki watched the wispy light spells that held many of their trunks aloft. It was refreshing and added to his good mood. 

A frozen fear was like a dagger to his gut. Anxiety made it even sharper. He cast his eyes around, but there were too many students for him to pinpoint who was feeling it. He did spot Thor and his friends though, minus Hogan. 

Thor gave him a look that was a bit too much like Odin’s. It was not approval, but a sort of absence of annoyance. It was as if he had expected for Loki to disappoint him and was almost surprised he didn’t. It left a bitter taste in Loki’s mouth. 

He boarded the train, in clear line of sight of Thor. Jane stayed outside of the train. 

“You’re so bad,” Darcy said under her breath with a snicker. 

The others found a compartment, keeping a close eye on the time. Darcy went running back to Jane and was back with her just as fast. 

“Thor boarded and he’s in the fifth from the front compartment, on the platform side,” Jane reported. 

“Efficient as always.” Loki winked at her while disappearing his illusion of a trunk. 

“I gotta see this.” Darcy giggled. 

“Write to me with his reaction. You  _ have  _ to.” She readily agreed and Loki got off the train, having to squeeze by other students. He sneakily stuck to the side of the train while going to get the best view of Thor as the train went by. 

A couple minutes went by before the train whistle pierced the air. Loki stepped away from the train. It crawled forward, getting faster every second. 

And it was perfect. Just fast enough for no one to get off, while still slow enough for faces not to blur. 

His heart raced. He spotted Darcy, her finger against the glass pointing at him. Beside her, Thor’s face was screwed up in surprise and anger. 

Loki laughed himself silly until long after the train left. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is big and is Natasha going back 'home'. It's evil~


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: child abuse, mentions of murder of child, torture
> 
> This is def an info heavy chapter~

* * *

Natasha sat alone. There were other people in her train compartment, but she was alone in every sense that mattered. Even Clint and Barney weren’t with her. 

Only she had been summoned back to Romanoff Castle. 

Not even Yelena, who Taskmaster undoubtedly reported to Ivan about her unrefined fighting technique that went against the Red Wand’s teachings, hadn’t been called back. 

Natasha focused on her textbook, reading ahead. The perfect student. She had high marks so far, but she didn’t need another thing to be seen as lesser. 

She wished it was a novel though. She loved reading, but had only been able to read the books assigned to her by Madame B. She was the main instructor of the Red Wand program for girls that made it past the age of eight and started learning magic. 

Natasha hadn’t been under her tutelage since she went to Hogwarts. She’d been focusing on Yelena and apparently a new up and comer, according to Yelena, at least. It could easily be a lie meant to rattle Natasha, but it wasn’t something she could outright ignore. 

Natasha tried to focus harder on the textbook. 

She wasn’t certain if Taskmaster would be there. He usually oversaw the six and seven year olds, beginning their physical training. 

The five year olds… Natasha held in a shudder. She had killed girls her own age while going through the program, but when she was older she would be made to weed out the weak five year olds. She couldn’t picture the older girl who had tortured her, psychological, physically, and emotions—All to see who would be the least likely to break when they really started training them. That was only the first half of the year. The second part was healing and indoctrination. Red Wand was everything. They weren’t fit for anything other than being agents. They were saving the world, _correcting_ the follies of the ones that were ignorant of Ivan’s plans. That had been a potion induced haze that she couldn’t remember much of. 

And when it was Natasha’s turn to ‘teach’, she couldn’t falter. Cherub faced five year olds. Snot and tear covered faces where they just didn’t,  _ couldn’t  _ understand why they were being hurt. Forcing each one to sleep in a closet small room with a dead body. That was just the easy part. 

She carefully put those thoughts in a box for when she could harness those emotions into something productive. 

Natasha knew she should be going through the train, making connections and seeing how relationships had developed since the first train ride of the semester, but she was so tired. She wanted to curl up in a ball and strangle the anxiety, the  _ weakness _ inside of her, but couldn’t. Any show of weakness was a step closer to death. 

She wasn’t certain when Ivan would summon her to his office for a debriefing. But, unlike the other girls she carried the name Romanoff and would sit with Ivan and Madame B. at dinner. Things were rarely said during those tense meals, but when they were, they were never good. 

The train ride was both faster and slower than she wished it was. Time enough to fret, but not enough to truly center herself. 

She disembarked, her trunk miniaturized and in her pocket. She kept her eyes ahead, working not to see all the happy families, the hugs, and  _ love.  _ She had to remind herself that love was for the weak and guileless masses. 

Natasha’s clothing was both acceptable in muggle and wizard settings, making her transition to the muggle platform easy. Outside she had the faint, almost crippling feeling of being alone. It never happened. Romanoff Castle had abused and tattered house elves watching from the shadows. Clint had escorted her to Hogwarts, a blood curse ensuring his compliance. Then there was Barney and Yelena in Slytherin; Melina always Ivan’s eyes. 

This ‘freedom’ was a lie though. She wouldn’t be surprised if someone was watching her right now. Madame B. had also implied more than once that there was a tracking spell on her. 

She wound her way through the muggle streets, not unfamiliar with them. Compared to most wizards, the muggle world was well known to her. Ivan planned to take over the muggle world once the wizarding one was conquered. It would be easier then, no Ministry to monitor the muggles for  _ Imperius curses. _

Natasha had no idea how deep Ivan had his claws in the wizarding world. She wasn’t even sure how long he’d been at it since he had the Philosopher’s Stone. Natasha had a theory that he was using it and the subsequent Elixir of Life to bribe then withhold it to make others do what he wished them to. 

She wasn’t supposed to know anything about the Philosopher’s Stone beyond what was taught at Hogwarts, but she had delved into it with a focus that belied her age. Besides, even though she wasn’t supposed to look into Ivan, it was _expected._ She would be a poor agent if she didn’t. 

The Philosopher’s Stone was the closest answer on how Ivan was still alive that she could think of. It didn't quite fit all the way though. The Elixir of Life kept someone alive, but didn't stop them from aging according to all the texts she'd read on the subject. Ivan looked like he was stuck at 50 years old. 

Natasha would get no answers tonight though. 

It didn’t take her long to get to a Floo fireplace. She felt and weighed the powder in her hand before feeding it to the fire. She stepped into the green flames, none of her hesitation showing. Natasha took in a calming breath before clearly saying, “Romanoff Castle.”

*

The roar of the fire was nothing compared to the gaping maw of silence that met her. 

Natasha's light green eyes steadily took in her surroundings. She could already feel the heavy gazes of the house elves. She knew at least one had disapperated to report her arrival.

She removed her trunk and resized it, not worrying about the Ministry punishing her for underaged magic. With a reluctance she didn't show she set her wand on top of it. 

_ I am a weapon even without a wand,  _ she reminded herself. It was of no comfort. 

Natasha straightened her back and started heading to her room. Though she didn’t really consider it  _ hers _ or even a proper room. Strictly speaking, the only thing that distinguished it from others was the rune on the door, a Demiguise, the representation on the number 0. It was reserved for the one who carried the Romanoff name. 

There could only be one Romanoff ‘daughter’ at a time, and Natasha knew nothing of the last one. 

The other ‘bedrooms’ in the hallway were reserved for students 9 years old and up. Most of the rooms were unmarked, another test. There was skelegrow and other healing potions in some of the rooms. They couldn’t be removed. Every evening the girls would fight over the rooms, winning use of the potions inside. The supplies dwindled as the year went on, making the fighting even more vicious. Alliances budded and burned in these halls. 

Natasha almost smiled. When she was ten and told one of them would be chosen to be the next Romanoff, she had been ruthless. She was already the favored student, but had to do something to ensure her place. Every night she’d chosen a different room and either consumed or destroyed all the healing potions there. It had been a risky move, invoking the ire of the few girls that were left, but it had paid off. 

Yelena had burned the brightest with anger, but wasn’t strong enough. 

Most of the other girls from then had been sent to other schools, or were dead. The new group was smart enough not to interact with her. 

She placed her hand on the Demiguise rune. She felt the warmth of magic sear her hand, a matching rune flaring on her palm. 

Inside there was a single trunk. She went through it. 5 simple outfits meant to be flexible and durable enough to put up with combat. They had a charm on them that automatically resized to fit the wearer. Unlike the other students, she also had a few formal outfits to be worn during dinner. 

On the opposite side of the room, with only a step’s length between them, was a thin cot. She sat upon it and waited to be summoned or for dinner. 

*

When no summon came, Natasha washed up for dinner. On her way back she saw two other girls. One was battered while the other was shoving her against the wall. When they saw her, they averted their eyes. 

It didn’t make Natasha feel proud, superior, or even alone. She felt nothing.

She changed into a hazel colored dress with off-white knee socks. Her shoes were plain, but functional. With practiced movements she plaited her hair back into a low bun. Lastly, she pinned a broach over her heart; the Romanoff crest.

Not a hair out of place, she went to the dining room, first to arrive. She took the chair opposite of where Ivan would sit, putting her back to the door. 

She stared blankly at his chair, backlit by the fireplace. Plates and cutlery appeared in front of her, but she didn't so much as flinch. With her ears perked she heard the sharp clicking of Madame B.'s heels. They didn't acknowledge each other. 

She sat to the right of Ivan's seat, a parchment and self-inking quill in hand. 

Natasha observed her. The blond woman was on the precipice of being elderly, but she carried it well. Her hair was in a tight bun, thin glasses perched on her nose. She wore thick, cumbersome robes, but Natasha knew that never slowed her down when she needed to strike with magic or her hand. Her lips were in a firm line. Natasha noticed she had no laugh lines. She could only remember her smiling once, when Natasha was given the name Romanoff.

Madame B.'s quill movements were firm, without hesitation. If Natasha had to wager a guess, she'd say she was grading papers. Not all lessons had been physical, after all. 

Natasha sensed more than heard Ivan coming.

Ivan Petrovich Romanoffs. His hair was dark with streaks of white. His mustache held none of the greying of the rest of his hair. His eyes were flinty brown. He had broad shoulders, wider than any other person she’d seen before. Or was it just a symptom of how imposing he was?

He was still in his plum colored Wizengamot robes. It was far from his most eye catching outfit. For a man that demanded subtlety, he dressed in bright and showy robes. 

Natasha stood and curtsied, her eyes to the ground. "I am home, Papa." 

In two steps he loomed over her. “Natalia, my beloved daughter.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. His bergamot scent twisted around her. “Welcome back.” He kissed her twice on each cheek, as if she wasn't just a tool to him. 

They took their seats, Madame B. giving the slightest of nods in acknowledgement to Ivan. 

Food appeared in the same fashion as it did at Hogwarts. Natasha waited for Ivan to start eating before she picked up her cutlery. 

The food was rich, so much different than the porridge and stews she’d had before taking the name Romanoff. She had been a fool on that night, eating more than she had before in any one sitting. She hadn’t taken into account how her stomach would react to something so different than she was used to. She’d spent the night trying not to throw up. 

Midway through the second course, Ivan spoke. 

“Lord Maximoff commented on the friendship between you and his son.” 

Erik Maximoff nee Lehnsherr, a pureblood and another wizard that held a hereditary position on the Wizengamot—Having two seats, one being controlled by his wife. Heir to the Lehnsherr pureblood line, but because of the Maximoff’s greater standing he took the name of his wife, Magda. One of the twins would take the mother’s last name while the other would take the Lehnsherr name.

Known as Magneto for his various alchemical work focused on metal. 

He was a man of great influence and Natasha was ‘friends’ with Wanda and growing closer to Pietro. 

“He’s not as smart as his sister, but he is set on pureblood ideology. He will be looking for a pureblood to marry eventually. Wanda is rebellious and set on courting a half-Veela, leaving the possibility of her being disowned. I wouldn’t count her out yet, though,” she reported automatically. “The twins are at odds with each other. I listen to Wanda,” complaining was the most accurate word, but she couldn’t use it, “voicing her dissatisfaction. My new position on the Slytherin Quidditch team as a chaser with Pietro has granted me access to him, as well as forming a new bond with Loki Borson.” 

As much as she didn’t want to mention Loki, Ivan might notice if she didn’t. 

Ivan took a sip of his tea, his rings glinting in the firelight. “Loki Borson, the one you failed to make an asset. What of your progress on learning about his absence last year?”

“It is ongoing.” Just another term for no progress—for  _ failure. _

Madame B. made a dissatisfied noise, but didn’t look up from her papers. It sent a violent spike of fear through her heart, but she kept her facade pristine. 

“Come here, girl.” No more playing house. She moved automatically. Ivan pulled his wand from the sleeve of his robes. “Should I use the Cruciatus Curse for your shortcomings?” 

Natasha didn’t answer, knowing he wasn’t looking for one. It wouldn’t be the first time it was used on her. At least one week each year was spent on working through the pain of the curse. She didn’t need a refresher. 

Ivan hummed to himself, looking at the wand. “I will give you a choice.” That was new, more of Madame B.’s sort of games. “On one hand,” he flourished his empty palm, “I will give you forgiveness without punishment. On the other,” he held his wand almost loosely, palm facing up, “if you choose the Cruciatus Curse, Madame B. will teach you a new curse, a  _ Romanoff _ spell.” 

It was a test, and an obvious one at that. 

She took a determined step forward, chin high enough to show strength, but low enough not to be arrogant. 

“I will happily take the Cruciatus Curse to improve as an asset to the Red Wand.” 

His lips twisted in a facsimile of a fatherly smile. 

_ “Crucio.” _

Unimaginable pain.

*

Natasha had dark bruises from thrashing on the ground. She wanted to use her healing potions to cover up the mark of weakness, but… there was no need to hide the bruises when the only ones around her had caused them. And, they might appease Ivan and Madame B. from causing more.

Madame B. collected her from her room, not stopping for breakfast or saying a word.

Natasha mused that the students should be thanking her for taking one of their main torturer’s attention. 

Natasha and Madame B. were in a part of the castle that Natasha had never been to before. It went past the rooms the five year olds were held in, deeper still. Beautiful architecture of arches holding up the castle from crashing down on them, past a wine cellar, a closed door that the scent of herbs came from. 

Then she started hearing it, a familiar, dreadful sound. 

Children crying.

But it wasn’t the same fearful cry or stifled sobs of the girls that knew better. This was breathless pain of semi-conscious confusion. 

It made her fear what would be in store for her.

_ I am a Romanoff. I am the strongest. I have gotten this far and I won’t falter. _

The mantra was used to the point of almost being worn out, but it loosened the grip on her throat. 

The scent of piss and shit wrinkled her nose.

They entered a room that was pristine, two people; One with medi-witch robes and the other scruffier. She also saw one of Taskmaster’s cowls, blood splattered and in the bin. Something to think about. 

“Prepare five failures. Strap them down in the training room,” Madame B. ordered. The medi-witch was quick to action, while the scruffy wizard ignored her. 

Madame B. turned and led Natasha to a different room, one that had cauldrons and potion ingredients. Most interesting was an hourglass that had to be just slightly shorter than her. It was tilted and spinning in slow circles. There were three liquids stacked on each other. Black-red on the bottom, a thin layer of polluted looking grey, then the majority was straw yellow. 

Natasha was quick to look away, not wanting to give Madame B. an excuse to punish her. 

“Zero,” Madame B. said. Unlike the ones in training, she was referred by her ranking. “ _ Varicose Areanea _ is a blood curse.” She explained the curse to her and how it had three levels. It had many wand movements, forming nearly an octagon with curved motions on the inside. Once she learned it, she would be expected to simplify the movements and eventually cast it non-verbally. 

She was led to another room—Five forms strapped to tilted tables. 

Two adults, two children, and something nearly unidentifiable. 

Its shape was bipedal, almost humanoid, but random parts of it were bulged out like boils. Some were as big as dinner plates while others were pimple sized. Tufts of stringy hair and skin that looked like mange. But those eyes were human. 

One adult was a man, the other a woman. The woman’s arms were twisted with claws at the end. Her face was scratched to ribbons, eyes gone. 

The man’s mouth was open drool falling down. Natasha wasn’t sure if he was breathing, but a slight trimmer marked him as alive. 

The children were both boys. They looked marginally better than the adults. One was half covered with fur, giving credence to the niggling thought that they might be half-breeds. He was wheezing and his eyes were flitting around. 

The last boy was letting out a litany of pleads, to let him go, to save him, to  _ kill _ him. 

Natasha didn’t react nor wait for Madame B. to give her the order to begin. 

She started with the monstrosity. Like the Unforgivable Curses, she had to be in a certain mind-set to invoke the magic. This time it was a shrill need to cause bloodshed, fingernails scratching on chalkboards, blood following in their wake. 

A feeling that was bolstered with the knowledge that if she didn’t perfect this, she’d be a step closer to death. 

_ “Varicose Areanea,”  _ she said firmly, feeling the squirming magic shoot from her wand. It was murky red and sunk into the abomination’s skin. 

Natasha focused, her wand still poised as she conducted the magic, coaxing it into its veins. Magic shattering into eight-legged bugs. They scratched, scraped, and  _ tore _ at the veins. The  _ thing _ howled in pain.

And Natasha was only getting started. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it~


	22. Chapter 22

Hank Pym was pouting. He’d left so many experiments unmanned. Who knew how they were progressing… or if more than one exploded. 

The attack in the Owlery had, well, not been a good experience. It had taken a while for him to be found. In the end, his desperate wand work and the owls that he flattered had saved him. Bonvi had led them to find someone to help him. 

Hank didn’t really remember being taken to Madame Cho. He was out for half a day, and when he woke up his mother and father were there. Headmaster Stark and the Ministry wanted to question him, but his parents weren’t ignorant of his less than above board dealings with a Romanoff. They were quick to whisk him away. 

But either the Ministry had taken his bloodied clothes (which held him encoded feathers) or they had been tossed. 

Either way, his family had been quick to call their solicitor and take him home. 

The Ministry followed him. His father loaned him a tool that made delving into his mind hard when the Ministry tried to question him and sat in the interview. Hank gave them little information, partially because he hadn’t seen the attacker and to snub his nose at the Ministry. 

One of his worries, and what had happened to his father was the Ministry had conscripted him to work in their experimental charms branch. So it was a mixture of his father’s grudge and Hank trying to make it clear he wouldn’t play nice with them. 

They didn’t ask after the owl feathers or about Romanoff. But that meant nothing.

Hank was just glad he’d made a habit of giving non-encoded quills to people. 

It was almost Yule, and Hank insisted on going back to Hogwarts despite his parents’ warnings and their solicitor’s misgivings. Hank had experiments to take care of though. 

*

Carol picked at her blunt nails. Maria had gone home for the winter break. She's invited her along, but Carol wasn't going to risk going to the UWSA. Her father wasn't powerful, but she didn't want to risk him finding her. There was a chance she might make it into the newspaper just for being around the famous Rambeau family. 

As such, she was just about as alone as a Hogwarts student could be. 

This was also the first Yule she'd spend alone. 

As if reading that depressing thought, Janet appeared, her eyes gleaming more than ever. 

"Do you know how to use a camera?" Janet asked while getting into her bubble. Carol tried not to lean further back in her chair and risk Janet thinking she was weirder than usual. 

"Yes." She doubted British ones were different from the UWSA cameras. 

“Perfect!” Janet somehow maneuvered Carol to her feet. “Off we go!” 

Carol didn’t put up a fight despite sorely wanting to. She was wearing one of the outfits Janet had given her. To refuse her this would be snubbing all her kindness, her _charity._

Once again she marveled at the beauty of the Room of Lost Wands. She’d grown up around magic, but the dancing colors of the wand tree made her feel otherworldly, like anything was possible. 

When she pulled her eyes away she looked for the cute Ravenclaw girl, Jane, but she was nowhere to be seen. Too bad. 

She did notice Bucky though. She took note of him and his scowl, but ultimately thought it was unimportant.

“We’re going to be showcasing my new Spring line of clothing and accessories along with Tony’s wands.” Janet fidgetted, giving Carol pause. “It will be a good distraction.” 

If the distraction was for them or her, Carol didn’t know. But it was something to do beyond getting lost in her own thoughts. 

Janet dragged her over to where Tony was, past an odd machine that looked to be making fabric like a printing press made newspapers. But instead of letters dancing to rearrange themselves, needles dipped in and out of view, threads like comet tails. 

Carol was given a camera. “Tony, Pepper, and I will be the models,” she perked up, “or you could be a model!”

Carol took an automatic step back. “No thanks.” 

Janet giggled and Carol rolled her tense shoulders. This girl was a bit much for her. 

The trio took turns, going from pajamas to formal robes. Carol had no idea there were so many different types of clothing, let alone how anyone could afford to be more than one of them. 

When that was over, Tony rolled out fabric with slim pockets, a wand nestled in each. His fingers ghosted over them, a manic look in his eye. 

Pepper picked up a pile of placks Carol hadn’t noticed before. 

They set up a hip high column with a velvet pillow on top. Janet disappeared for a moment before bringing back a golden perch. 

Tony shifted into a phoenix, making Carol’s eyes go wide. She had heard he was an animagus, but she hadn’t quite believed it. He took his place on the perch then Janet fussed with his feathers, cooing about how pretty and regal he looked. He definitely looked regal, but Carol wouldn’t use the word pretty on him. 

Janet took a step back and flicked her wand. In golden, fire like letters the words _Phoenix Grade Wands_ appeared over Tony. 

Pepper carefully slid out a wand and positioned it just so on the velvet pillow. Then she hung the plack and Carol went sheet white. 

It listed what the wand was made of, ingredients she’d never heard of or at least not heard of being used in wands. But that wasn’t what made her lose her breath. It was the price written beneath. Carol, even if her family had supported her, would have never been able to afford one of his wands, yet he had given it to her freely. 

She’d never be able to repay him at this rate.

*

"Franklin is this from your _girlfriend?"_ Foggy's dad teased. He wanted to sink into the ground.

"I think Pepper gave every Hufflepuff chocolate," he murmured. "She's a fifth-year, besides."

His dad took in an exaggerated gasp. "I didn't know you like older women!" 

Foggy groaned.

"Leave him be," his mom said, but her grin matched his dad's. "Open another gift, sweetums."

Foggy set aside his badger shaped chocolates. 

He flitted over the gifts from Riri and Yelena, trying not to be teased again. It was hard being an only child with a dad that thought he was a lot funnier than he actually was.

He grabbed Dex’s, though he'd signed the card as Bullseye, his new and spreading Quidditch nickname. 

Foggy really hadn't expected any of his friends would get him gifts, and he was almost overwhelmed that they had. Thankfully he'd been smart enough to send them gifts too. 

He'd gotten Bullseye a broom upkeep kit. Riri got a book on obscure forms of divination. Yelena had been the hardest to shop for. He'd asked Riri and Bullseye for help, but neither had any ideas. Yelena was just so… He didn't want to say perfect, but it was the truth. 

She was so happy even though she was poor and lived with her elderly father all alone on a moor. She was quick to smile and never ask anything of him.

His dad had warned him that some people might want to get close to him because of his family's wealth but he knew Yelena wasn't like that.

And she was so _pretty!_ He didn't understand why she wanted to hang out with a lump of nerves like him. She could be friends with anyone if she wanted to be, but she chose him!

He wanted to get her something spectacular, but knew she wouldn't want that. Instead, he got her a beautiful brush made and enchanted by Veelas.

He just hoped she didn't think he had a crush on her. That would be so embarrassing and she might push him away in disgust. 

Yelena was also helping him get over the hurt of Matt lying to him. She'd pulled their little group together around him. It warmed him to the core. It was wonderful having friends.

After opening the presents from his friends and family, only an envelope he hadn't noticed before was left. It was plain looking and bore no name beyond his own. 

A niggling worry made him think it might be a trick or someone trying to bully him, but he was still riding high off his presents. He opened it carefully.

_Foggy,_

_I'm sorry for_

He stopped right there and skipped to the bottom. It was from Matt. He hesitated a moment before putting it back in the envelope. He didn't want to ruin Yule. And Foggy knew he should just throw it away, but for some reason he kept the letter and his it away.

*

“This is a load of bollocks,” Tony said while looking at the Daily Prophet. 

“You say it as if that’s a surprise,” Pepper commented, her own copy in hand. 

Janet was looking over Tony’s shoulder, bouncing on her feet. “I want to see our ads!” 

Tony grinned to himself, pretending not to have heard. “I am surprised. The Ministry doesn’t have these attacks in hand at all. They probably have less of a clue than we do.” His grip tightened on the newspaper. 

They’d finally gotten Matt to talk yesterday, with the promise of exchanging information. He proved his… blindness was vastly different than others. He also told them about Natasha, Yelena, and Melina meeting up with Taskmaster. That gave Tony a sinking feeling. Yelena was one of Riri’s only friends. He didn’t know how to approach Riri about it without causing the situation to explode. 

The mystery had thickened with the knowledge of Taskmaster taking children from muggle orphanages. It was nothing anyone in wizarding society would take notice of, which is exactly why they had written Darcy and Rhodey. Darcy because her aunt was a writer for a different, non-Ministry run paper, and because Rhodey’s father worked as a detective in the muggle world despite being a wizard. They were hoping for results, but frankly Tony had no idea how muggle law enforcement worked. Darcy’s aunt had come through for them last year, but this was a bit more complicated than looking up Maria Hill. 

“Tony,” Janet whined. She sat beside him and gave him puppy-dog eyes. They were nothing compared to his own. 

“Here, Janet.” Pepper offered her paper. 

“Yay!” She switched to the ads and Tony did the same, no longer needing to tease her.

He had to admit he cut quite the figure in the picture. They were advertising his wands as a luxury item (mostly because he didn’t have the means to mass produce yet). The ad made it clear he only did in-home consultations. To bolster his sales he was planning on giving a few wands to celebrities and those in power. Being a Stark also helped, though it didn’t make him happy. 

Tony knew one of the best advertisements would be to give his father a wand. For it to be seen by other Wizengamot and Board of Governors members. He wasn’t prepared to talk to his father again just yet, and didn’t want to hear the doubtlessly scathing criticism Howard would have on Tony’s wands. 

He focused on Janet’s ad. Her and Pepper were in the picture, wearing complimentary outfits. Janet was young and it showed. Pepper almost looked like an adult though, widening their range of potential customers. She’d already sold a few outfits and accessories to Twilfitt and Tatting’s, and some stores in France and Western Russia.

Janet was trying to establish her brand in hopes of getting the contract with Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in two years since they changed their uniforms every decade. Tony was wishing her the best. 

He flipped through the pages, trying not to stare too much at himself and be teased. 

_Divination Professor Predicts Own Death_

Tony perked his eyebrow up in curiosity. His Aunt Angie, Aunt Peggy’s significant other, had apparently divined her own death. Tony rolled his eyes. A student probably misunderstood her and reported it to the greedy reporters at the Daily Prophet. It wouldn’t be the first time.

*

The first night back from holiday, there was an attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My one-month online course is killing me. Honestly, International Political Economics! 2/10 would not recommend.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love when little details I randomly put in without a thought then later on become big plot point!

* * *

Detective Terrance Rhodes had one foot into the muggle world and the other in the wizarding world. It drew the Ministry’s scrutiny. He couldn’t count the number of times Aurors dropped in on him unexpectedly. He had a direct floo line to the Obliviators’ office, just in case. He also had a limited license to obliviate muggles to a minor degree, so long as he wrote a thorough report and had an official Obliviator review his work. 

One of the other stipulations the Ministry gave him for working in the muggle world was he had to spend one month a year investigating muggle baiting and similar crimes. He already did so of his own free will, but particularly didn’t like how the Ministry forced him to. 

Terrance also got flak from the Ministry for taking a muggle job. He could have been an Auror, had even gotten into the program, but knew he could make a bigger impact in the muggle world. The Ministry strictly regulated what spells he was allowed to do, always with the stipulation and obvious rule not to do so in front of muggles. 

Terrance had to do his own balancing act, not having too frequent of a case closure rate. He couldn’t stand out, but he also couldn’t let the worst of criminals run free. It was one of the reasons his captain focused him on the most heinous crimes. 

Terrance also had who could arguably be the least motivated detective in his jurisdiction as his partner. And, somewhat to Terrence’s annoyance and relief, he tended to stay in the car while Terrance worked. He was also very good at bringing coffee in the morning and getting lunch. He wasn’t bad company during a stakeout either. 

None of that mattered. He’d already gotten permission to pursue with his line of inquiry, the mystery his son told him about. His boss was used to his ‘mysterious sources’, giving him latitude to investigate. 

Terrance had more than one reason that this particular case had him on edge, besides it being a favor for Jim. He worried what sort of things his son was getting into to learn about a possible series of child abductions. He had no doubt that Tony Stark had a part in uncovering what could potentially be a scandal—Not that the Ministry would step in. If what Jim said was going on was true, the Ministry would dismiss it as not being their problem, or worse, cover it up.

Another reason was more personal: his wife had been an orphan. Even though she’d been at an orphanage for magical children, this hit close to home. 

At the first orphanage, the one Jim had specifically named, with only a few questions, he knew there was something sinister going on.

*

It took all that Natasha had to not make her hands shake. She was pulled thin, body feeling wrong, and her skin felt waxy, not her own. Her  _ body  _ wasn't her own.

And, even worse, there was the paranoia of bugs crawling under her skin. If she opened her mouth to sob, if she cried, only spiders would come out.

Someway, somehow, she’d lost count. Lost count of the people she’d tortured. 

_ Control yourself!  _ she mentally shouted, a practice that had only grown in frequency since her visit ‘home’. 

It was obviously not enough, if she went by Clint’s worried glances. 

This newest attack did nothing to help her frayed state. There was one ray of sunshine though. She’d been in the Slytherin common room when the attack had happened, giving her an alibi and hopefully turning scrutiny away from her. 

A first-year had been attacked, and this time it was fatal. The first-year hadn’t been on her radar, a nobody by her and Ivan’s standards. But that also meant that Yelena probably had a better picture of the victim, thus had the chance of analyzing why she’d been targeted. 

Of the three attacks: the house elf, Hank, and Tabby Hesper, the only commonality was that Hank and Tabby were both Ravenclaws. But Hank was a fifth-year. His skill level was vastly different from Tabby’s. 

The difference in threat levels of the victims were all over the place. She knew that a house elf would never harm an occupant of the place they were bound to. Then there was Hank, a fifth-year who was near the top of his class. Then back to an easy target. 

Had Hank surviving put the attacker on edge? Had they learned they’d bitten off more than they could chew. 

That hadn’t stopped them yet though. And this fatal attack was sure to invoke the Ministry’s scrutiny. They had already flooded Hogwarts. 

Of course, this could be another Ministry ploy where they faked a student’s death like last year. 

Natasha also hadn’t a chance to talk to Hank. The only message she’d gotten from him was during breakfast, a simple smile that did nothing to comfort her. 

Whoever the attacker was, they’d have a lot harder time finding a new victim. 

*

Matt couldn’t help the small spark of hope that settled in his chest. 

Tony Stark and his group of friends believed him. 

It was even more of a comfort since he hadn’t been with anyone when the third attack occurred. 

He had told them nearly everything and they took him seriously. They were willing to help, and hinted that they had outside help. 

The fact still remained though, that his only friend, Foggy, wouldn’t speak to him anymore. Matt didn’t even know if he’d gotten the letter he’d sent him. Foggy was also in Yelena’s clutches. He’d overheard her warning Foggy more than once to stay away from Matt. He was sorely tempted to somehow trap her and wring out every drop of information she had. 

Matt hadn’t smelled or sensed Taskmaster since the first attack. Matt considered the possibility that Taskmaster was behind all this, but Tony had confirmed that Hogwarts’ wards were sturdy and wouldn’t let a permissionless person onto the grounds. Matt didn’t believe him. Taskmaster had gotten out of the Shrieking Shack without anyone’s notice. 

It was maddening. 

Tony and his friends had given him a purpose though, something for him to hold onto as regret, loneliness, and desperation that made each footstep a struggle. They had him using his enhanced hearing to eavesdrop, both on suspects and in general. It gave him the purpose and drive that he so desperately needed. 

But so far he hadn’t turned up anything relevant. 

He was trying to learn German since Zemo and Sarkissian were suspects, but coupled with his own classes, the bullying, and the tightness in his chest, it was slow going. 

It was hard to follow Melina. Mostly she talked about the Dueling Club and classes. She had few friends, but seemed to have a different personality when interacting with each one. There was something inherently fake about her that set Matt on edge. 

Yelena portrayed herself as an angel. He already knew from the classes they had together that the professors regarded her as the perfect student. She was polite to the fault and wasn’t afraid to ask for help—But now that Matt was paying attention he realized it was an act. 

The only real thing he could report was that Natasha Romanoff’s breathing seemed a bit short.

Matt had his own suspect: Dex, Bullseye. And maybe Matt was biased. He’d been and was still one of his main bullies. He was also the reason Matt was outed as not being blind, by others’ standards. Something told Matt that the bludger Bullseye had sent flying at him hadn’t been an accident. 

Hank Pym brushed off questions about when he was attacked. Matt had followed him to an abandoned classroom. It was warded up tight though, so he hadn’t been able to enter. Tony and Loki were planning on helping Matt to break into it later on. 

The professors were tight lipped, and Matt was getting even less from the people from the Ministry that were flooding Hogwarts. Whenever they spoke it was in private and behind silencing spells. 

There was a spark of hope though, one he was too nervous to stoke. Tony said he was going to talk to Riri about Yelena. 

*

Riri was very glad her parents were muggles. It meant that after the third attack she hadn’t received a letter the next morning. The owls had practically been clawing at each other to get into the feasting hall. Though a feather had fallen into her breakfast. It was so hard to get the right ratio of jam to porridge. She’d had to make a new bowl, much to her despair. 

Tony didn’t notice her moping. His nose was stuck in a newspaper, which was fine by her. They rarely interacted beyond hellos in the Room of Lost Wands and when she had a question she couldn’t find the answer to in books. 

It was… nice to have her own space. At home she’d rarely been able to eek out room for her experiments and collections. 

Here, her collection nearly filled her dorm room that was big enough for three other beds. It was her own little slice of heaven. Carefully stoppered potions, clippings from the greenhouse, notebooks of experiments. She was surrounded by inspiration. Almost too much inspiration. Goodness knows that she had the bad habit of taking on too many things and not being able to juggle them properly. She was only keeping up with her reports because Foggy always reminded her. When she remembered, it didn’t take long for her to jot out a paper. 

Another relief was that Tony and her didn’t give a lick about house points. It could have been a major problem since she was hard pressed to actively listen in class, let alone take notes. Her worst class was potions. Following recipes and timing things weren’t in her nature. She’d been forced to work alone after her partner complained more than once that she wasn’t helping, which was fair. The only thing keeping her grades afloat and not calling down the wrath of Professor Fury was her essays and when she went to him to ask questions. She’d shown him a few of her experiments and he counted it as extra credit. He also warned her away from some of her more dangerous ideas. 

“Hey, are you at a good stopping point?” Tony asked. No one was around in the Room of Lost Wands, which was odd. 

“Sure.” Riri put aside her painting. She was experimenting with magical herb based dyes, thickened into paint. “What’s up?”

Tony seemed to teeter in spot. Right away it made Riri feel restless. Why would he interrupt her if he didn’t even know what he wanted to say. 

“It’s about Yelena.” His voice was careful. Riri cocked her head to the side. “My group has reason to believe she might have something to do with the attacks.” 

That gave Riri pause. Tony sounded like one of those copper shows her parents liked to watch. 

“Yeah, I can believe that.” Riri almost laughed at his look of surprise. “She's definitely hiding something.” Riri grinned. “That’s half the fun of being around her.” 

Tony took a moment to recalibrate. His mouth gaped slightly before he pulled himself together. 

“What do you think she’s hiding?” 

Riri glanced skyward in thought. The enchanted ceiling really was beautiful. She wished she could cast that spell in her room at home, but she was a  _ minor;  _ how annoying.

“In the classes I have with her, she fakes not knowing how to do the spells or potions. She’s always eyeing Foggy, and obviously doesn’t like Dex, Bullseye. In front of people she’s sweet as can be, but when she thinks no one is looking she sneers. She tries real hard to get me to tell her more about the secret passages,” Riri grinned, “but seeing her frustrated is funny.” Some of the tension in Tony’s shoulders eased. “I could definitely see her being behind the attacks, if she wasn’t so tiny.”

Tony brushed a hand down his face. “We should have asked you a long time ago, obviously.” 

Riri almost laughed. “Yeah, probably.” 

“What about the other first-years?” 

“Foggy is an innocent lil’ baby. I don’t think he’s done a bad thing in his life, at least not on purpose. Bullseye is probably like bipolar or has something. He’s all over the place and has major memory problems.” Maybe she should start staking out some new friends in case Yelena was a bad apple. She wanted to have a friend in each house, but none of the Gryffindors were interesting. There was Bob Dobalina in Slytherin, but she already had one friend who had hardly any self-esteem. “I don’t really pay much attention to the other students in my form.” 

Tony let out a barely perceptible sigh. “Could you watch Yelena closer? I don’t want to put you in danger, but if she is part of this…”

“Sure. It might be entertaining.” Though that would leave her less time for her experiments. She really needed to get a pass to the restricted section so she could read in the library while Yelena and her other friends studied. Now was as good as any chance to get one. “I want to get into the restricted section of the library.” As payment, not that she said as much. 

Tony’s smile turned wicked. It reminded her why they were in the same house. Neither had any use for rules. 

“I just so happen to have not one, but  _ two  _ spells that you’ll like.” 

Riri grinned in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, I've caught up with all I've written for this fic. Idk when I'll be able to post again :(


End file.
